Third soldier on board doomed Black Hawk chopper revealed as former White House aide, 28, as DC crash victims remembered
Third soldier on board doomed Black Hawk chopper revealed as former White House aide, 28, as DC crash victims remembered
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THE third soldier on board the doomed Black Hawk military helicopter which crashed into an American Airlines plane has been named. Female co-pilot Rebecca Lobach, 28, tragically died in the midair collision alongside 66 others including two fellow soldiers and 64 passengers and crew on the jet. A packed American Airlines plane was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter that was flying in the middle of its descent path.
![[Two soldiers in a Black Hawk helicopter.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/one-3-soldiers-aboard-black-968451983.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Three soldiers on board the Black Hawk, including a new dad from Atlanta, died when the helicopter smashed into the incoming jet. All 60 travellers, including four crew members, died on board the plane after it erupted into a fireball and shattered into three pieces due to the chilling impact. Both aircraft then plunged into the Potomac River as emergency operations were launched. Hopes for survivors quickly faded as rescue crews worked through the night in dark, cold conditions.
![[Woman giving a presentation at a podium in the White House briefing room.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/one-3-soldiers-aboard-black-968451981.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
After just a few hours the mission changed from a rescue to a recover operation with all passengers feared dead. Officials confirmed there are no survivors - marking it the deadliest US air crash since November 2001. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy admitted the crash was "absolutely" preventable as investigations were quickly launched into the cause of the disaster. Black boxes that could hold crucial clues have been dredged up from the plane wreckage in the Potomac River.
![[Plane wreckage in the Potomac River with rescue boats.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/02/image-provided-u-s-coast-967963453.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Officials say a preliminary report is expected to be issued within 30 days as divers continue to recover pivotal debris. But as the nation grieves, frustrated families of the victims are demanding answers over how what should have been a routine flight to Ronald Reagan Airport ended in disaster. It later emerged at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport in the last three years.
![[Memorial crosses near a highway with a plane overhead.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pics-video-plane-flies-makeshift-968187762.webp?strip=all&w=620)
A passenger flight even had to abort a landing at the airport just a day before the tragedy. Republic Airways Flight 4514 was forced to back out of touching down and had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, the Washington Post reported. Duffy yesterday said he agreed with Donald Trump that the crash "looks like it should have been prevented". He insisted, however, there was “not a breakdown” in communication between the helicopter’s pilots and the American Airlines flight.
![[Illustration of a plane crash timeline showing a plane colliding with a helicopter over the Potomac River.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/image_904c7c.png?strip=all&w=638)
