Crew Chief of Army Black Hawk that collided with American Airlines jet killing 67 is identified
Crew Chief of Army Black Hawk that collided with American Airlines jet killing 67 is identified
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Ryan O’Hara, a father-of-one, was one of the three soldiers on board the military helicopter, according to reports. 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.
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.
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. “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.".
