US

Army withholding name of female soldier killed in Washington crash as helicopter black box recovered

The name of one of the three soldiers killed in the plane crash in Washington is not being released.

The army identified two of the soldiers killed when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided mid-air as Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O’Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.

However, it made the unusual decision, at the request of the family, not to release the name of the third soldier.

Meanwhile, investigators announced the black box from the Black Hawk helicopter has been recovered.

They are reviewing the flight data recorder along with two from the plane as they probe the cause of the devastating crash.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

New videos emerge of DC crash

Read more:
What air traffic audio tells us about helicopter pilot’s actions moments before collision
What we know about the passengers

Forty-one bodies had been pulled from the river as of Friday afternoon, including 28 that had been positively identified, Washington DC fire chief John Donnelly Sr said at a news conference.

More on Washington

He said next of kin notifications had been made to 18 families, and that he expects that all 67 of the bodies of the dead will eventually be recovered.

“It’s been a tough response for a lot of our people,” Mr Donnelly said, noting that more than 300 responders were taking part in the effort at any one time.

Investigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the American Airlines plane, which struck the helicopter as the plane was coming in for a landing at the airport next to Washington.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Plane Crash: What went wrong?

Officials are scrutinising a range of factors in what National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has called an “all-hands-on-deck event”.

Investigators are examining the actions of the military pilot as well as air traffic control, after the helicopter apparently flew into the jet’s path.

Air crash investigations normally take 12-18 months, and investigators told reporters on Thursday that they would not speculate on the cause.

It has been suggested the helicopter exceeded an altitude limit.

Read more:
Washington DC plane crash: What we know so far
Air traffic control heard diverting planes moments after collision

Mr Trump said in a Friday morning post on his Truth Social platform that the helicopter was “flying too high” at the time of the crash.

“It was far above the 200 foot limit. That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???” he said.

His comments came a day after he questioned the helicopter pilot’s actions while also blaming diversity initiatives for undermining air safety.

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

Details have been emerging about others who died in the crash, including Danasia Elder, a flight attendant on the American Airlines flight, WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported.

Articles You May Like

Trump suggests diversity hiring to blame for Washington plane crash – as black boxes recovered
Day 12: Why is Trump blaming diversity policies for the DC plane crash?
Here’s why Trump’s pursuit of Greenland is really about the control over the Arctic
Trump says 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada may not include oil: ‘Oil is going to have nothing to do with it as far as I’m concerned’
Ivanka Trump warns investors that meme token bearing her name is fake