07 Feb, 2025
Black Hawk crew chief in DC plane crash identified as Ryan O’Hara
3 mins read

Black Hawk crew chief in DC plane crash identified as Ryan O’Hara

here were no survivors after a collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C.

The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members. Three soldiers were on board the helicopter. All 67 are believed to have been killed in the late Wednesday accident.

Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp identified the crew chief on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter involved in the crash as Ryan O’Hara.

Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter involved in the crash at Ronald...

He was part of the 2014 class of Parkview Marine Corps JROTC program.

“Our deepest condolences go out to Gary O’Hara and his entire family,” Parkview MCJROTC said in a Facebook post. “Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym, as well as a vital member of the rifle team.”

The post was deleted only a couple of hours after being posted.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp took to social media to offer condolences to O’Hara’s family, as well as an American Airlines pilot from Savannah who was also identified as a victim in the crash.

“We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley as they navigate this difficult time,” Kemp wrote in a post on X. “Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short. Marty, the girls, and I ask that all Georgians join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”

According to Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation, the crew flying the Army Blackhawk helicopter was “very experienced” and were not new to the unit or the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington, D.C.

“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Koziol said.

“Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”

The crew included an instructor pilot and pilot in command who were experienced to the point where either crew member “could manage that helicopter by themselves.”

The instructor pilot, who was serving as pilot-in-command, had about 1,000 flight hours, Koziol said.

The instructor pilot was evaluating the second pilot — who was also qualified as a pilot in command — for that night training flight and the pilot who was being evaluated had about 500 flight hours, Koziol said.

All three military personnel on board were killed in the midair collision between their helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet late Wednesday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside Washington, D.C.

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