Was the Black Hawk Practicing for Evacuation in Case of Attack on Capital When It Crashed with American Airlines Jet? US Army Clarifies

The US Army helicopter involved in Wednesday’s midair collision with American Airlines flight 5342 was conducting a training exercise related to a potential attack on the capital. Officials have confirmed that the three soldiers who all died were rehearsing a plan to evacuate the White House when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with the jet on Wednesday.

Defense officials confirmed the details of the training exercise to CBS News, after online investigators floated a theory that the helicopter was engaged in precisely that type of operation. Several other conspiracy theories have also been floating including claims that the co-pilot of the Black Hawk was a transgender servicewoman named Jo Ellis.

Theory Revealed to be True

Conspiracy theorists flooded social media with claims that the helicopter was involved in an emergency evacuation plan for the president, part of a Continuity of Government (COG) contingency protocol.

A Continuity of Government mission in the U.S. encompasses a set of procedures to ensure that essential government operations continue in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, such as a nuclear attack, natural disaster, cyberattack, or terrorist attack.

One of the main objectives of a COG mission is protecting key personnel and critical infrastructure.

On Friday, the Army confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, the pilot in charge, and Staff Sergeant Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief, were aboard the helicopter.

The identity of the third person, a female co-pilot, has not been revealed as the Army honored the family’s request for privacy.

The names of military personnel who die in accidents or combat are released within 24 hours of their families being informed, so withholding her identity is highly unusual.

“At the request of the family, the name of the third soldier will not be released at this time,” the US Army said.

The bodies of O’Hara and the co-pilot have been recovered, but Eaves remains in the water, along with several of the airline passengers. While relatives have the right to request this, it is highly uncommon. The New York Times referred to the decision to withhold the co-pilot’s name as an “extraordinary step.”

The reasons behind the co-pilot’s family’s request for privacy and why the U.S. Army honored it remain unclear. She had approximately 500 hours of flying experience, which is considered average, while her highly experienced colleagues had around 1,000 hours.

Debunking Another Theory

Earlier on Friday, a transgender woman named Jo Ellis was mistakenly identified as the co-pilot aboard the ill-fated Black Hawk. The Daily Mail contacted Ellis on Friday and she was visibly shaken but and confirmed that she was alive.

Ellis added: “I am very much alive.” Ellis said that the false rumors had left her “shocked,” while the Pentagon was reportedly preparing a statement to refute the misinformation circulating online.

Having previously worked for CNN star Michael Smerconish, Ellis condemned the false claims as “disrespectful to the families” of the 67 victims who lost their lives in Wednesday night’s tragedy, the Daily Mail reported.

In a blog post, Ellis shared that she was homeschooled for most of her childhood and had struggled with gender dysphoria since the age of five.

Ellis enlisted in the military in 2009 as a 15G helicopter mechanic with the Virginia National Guard and was sent to Iraq with Operation New Dawn two years later, according to the outlet.

She was awarded the Air Medal for her bravery in the Middle East and went on to serve in Guatemala and Kuwait in the following years.

In dealing with her gender dysphoria, Ellis talked about striving to become “more successful and more manly,” eventually getting married, adopting a dog, and raising a stepdaughter—pursuing “all the things I thought a good man should do.”

Ellis wrote that in 2020, she was “accepted into the Army’s Warrant Officer Flight Training program. I completed Warrant Officer Candidate School, SERE School (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape), and the UH60 Black Hawk helicopter course.”

Footage of the Black Hawk crashing into the plane’s side has led to speculation that the helicopter might have been at fault.

Robert Isoms, CEO of American Airlines’ parent company American Eagle, raised concerns about why the helicopter had crossed paths with the airliner.

President Trump suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies were to blame, which led some online “sleuths” to target Jo Ellis.