Authorities have identified Ryan O’Hara as the crew chief aboard the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the devastating mid-air collision near Washington, D.C.
The crash, which occurred on Wednesday at approximately 9:00 PM local time, involved a military helicopter carrying three soldiers and a civilian aircraft with 60 passengers and four crew members.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided an update, confirming that the Army unit involved was Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, stationed at Fort Belvoir.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provides an update on last night’s mid-air collision:
“It was an annual proficiency training flight … It was a fairly experienced crew”pic.twitter.com/PkXgWIWVF3
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) January 30, 2025
The Black Hawk crew was conducting a night proficiency training exercise under night vision conditions at the time of the incident.
“It was an annual proficiency training flight,” Hegseth stated in a video message. “The crew was fairly experienced and was undergoing a required annual night evaluation.” While authorities have withheld some identities pending next-of-kin notifications, Ryan O’Hara has been confirmed as one of the military personnel onboard.
Ryan O’Hara, a 2014 graduate of Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia, was the Black Hawk’s crew chief. During his time at Parkview, he was an active member of the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program and played a vital role in the school’s rifle team. He is survived by his wife and their one-year-old son.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our own,” Parkview MCJROTC wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post. “Our deepest condolences go out to Gary O’Hara and his entire family.”
While the identities of the other two military personnel aboard the Black Hawk have not been disclosed, Fox News reports that the helicopter’s co-pilot was a woman.
The instructor pilot in charge had over 1,000 flying hours, indicating significant experience, while the co-pilot had 500 flying hours, a standard amount for the role. Both pilots were undergoing evaluations during the flight.
First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28, from Richmond Hill, Georgia, was one of the pilots aboard the American Airlines passenger jet. His father shared that Lilley was engaged to be married and was months away from being promoted to captain.

“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again, but my heart is breaking,” Tim Lilley wrote in an emotional Facebook post.
The other American Airlines pilot, Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, was born in New York and raised in Florida. Campos attended Epic Flight Academy, where he earned his Certified Flight Instructor rating in 2017 and became an airline pilot in 2018.

The two flight attendants onboard the American Airlines flight have been identified as Danasia Elder and Ian Epstein.
Following the accident, the Army’s Health Aviation Battalion has implemented a 48-hour operational pause on contingency missions as officials conduct a thorough review.
American Airlines has set up a hotline for families seeking information about loved ones who may have been on the flight: 1-800-679-8215.