The Crew Chief on board the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines regional jet has been named.
Ryan O’Hara, a father-of-one, was one of the three soldiers on board the military helicopter, according to a Facebook post by Parkview High School JROTC in Atlanta, Georgia, which has since been removed.
“Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team. Ryan leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son,” the school wrote about its former student in a statement, WSB-TV Atlanta reports.
Flight 5342 from Kansas was on the final approach to Ronald Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Black Hawk helicopter before exploding a huge fireball on Wednesday evening. There were 67 people aboard the two flights when they crashed and they are all presumed dead, officials said on Thursday.
Both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River sparking a massive search-and-rescue operation amid strong winds and chilly 42-degree water.
Search teams at the site of the American Eagle flight 5342 crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (REUTERS)
Governor Brian Kemp paid tribute to O’Hara and fellow Georgian Sam Lilley, an American Airlines pilot who also died in the crash.
“We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley as they navigate this difficult time,” Kemp wrote in a post on X.
“Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short.”
The helicopter crew was “very experienced” and were not new to the unit or the congestion that occurs in the airspace around D.C.
“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation said.
Part of the wreckage is seen as rescue boats search the waters of the Potomac River (AFP via Getty Images)
“Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”
The military helicopter was conducting “a required annual night evaluation,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added.
The bodies of the soldiers have been recovered, according to the Associated Press.
Their remains will be at Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, officials, speaking anonymously, told the news agency.
The National Transport Safety Board is leading the investigation and said at a press conference on Thursday that it couldn’t rule out whether human factors or mechanical factors were at play. “It’s too soon to tell,” the board’s Todd Inman said.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of NTSB, said: “We’re here to assure the American people that we are going to leave no stone unturned in this investigation.”
