Why has the US Army refused to identify the female Black Hawk pilot killed in DC plane crash? Statement explored

The US Army’s Black Hawk pilot who lost their life in the DC plane crash was not identified by the officials. On January 31, 2025, the US Army released a statement on its official website mentioning the names and details of the soldiers who lost their lives in the DC plane crash.

As per the statement, a crew of three members was present in the Black Hawk helicopter. The US Army has identified only two members from the crew, Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.

The name of the third soldier has not been released as per the request of their family. Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp, in the statement, said:

“Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time. Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident.”

The US Army believes Ryan Austin O’Hara to have died in the DC plane crash, although proper identification is pending. However, the mortal remains of Andrew Loyd Eaves have not been recovered, due to which they have labeled the status DUSTWUN, aka duty status-whereabouts unknown. The unidentified Black Hawk pilot also has the same status.

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The US Army’s Black Hawk pilot who lost their life in the DC plane crash was part of an experienced team

Concerning the training session, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told media outlets the training that the Black Hawk helicopter underwent was a required annual session. Sharing an update about the DC plane crash on January 30, 2025, on X, he said:

“The army unit involved Bravo company 12th Aviation Batallion at For Belvoir. It was an annual proficiency training flight and when we look at the crew and we are not, not all crew kin have been notified so we are going to withhold the ranks and names at this point.”

He continued:

“It was a fairly experienced crew that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles. The 12th Aviation Batallion, as of now, has granted a 48-hour operational pause on contingency missions as what happened is reviewed and a senior-level aviation team, an investigative team from our Aviation Safety Center was deployed last night.”

Andrew Loyd Eaves served in the U.S. Navy for a decade before becoming a UH-60 pilot in the US Army. He is a recipient of several commendations, including medals for service, achievement, and aviation. According to The Telegraph, Eaves was supervising the Black Hawk pilot at the time of the DC plane crash.

Jonathan Koziol, the chief of staff for the Army’s aviation directorate, shared that Chief Eaves had over 1,000 hours of flight experience. The unnamed female Black Hawk pilot had more than 500 hours of flying experience.

Ryan Austin O’Hara has been an Army UH-60 helicopter repairer since 2014 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2017. His honors include commendation and achievement medals, as well as aviation and service ribbons. He is a father to a kid.