In the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in over two decades, an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a military helicopter near Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, January 29, claiming 67 lives.
The U.S. Army identified two of the three service members aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland. The third victim, a female pilot with over 500 flight hours, remains unnamed at her family’s request.
Among the 64 passengers and crew aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 were members of the Skating Club of Boston returning from the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita. Teen skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane perished alongside their mothers and celebrated coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world pairs skating champions.
Search and recovery teams have retrieved more than 40 bodies from the Potomac River crash site. The remains of Eaves and the female pilot have not yet been recovered, and both are listed as duty status-whereabouts unknown (DUSTWUN).
Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the Army’s aviation directorate, confirmed both pilots were experienced with the route. “Both pilots had flown this specific route before at night — this wasn’t something new to either one of them,” Koziol said. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the helicopter crew as “fairly experienced.”
Investigators have recovered black boxes from both aircraft. The helicopter’s flight recorder, now at National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) headquarters, appears undamaged. Analysts are reviewing data to determine the crash’s cause, with particular focus on the helicopter’s altitude at the time of collision.
The Army has launched an investigation into whether the Black Hawk was flying at an appropriate altitude. Military officials are examining air traffic data and operational protocols to understand the circumstances leading to the tragedy.
Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander of Joint Task Force – National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington, offered condolences to the affected families. “Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time,” he said.
The crash has raised questions about air traffic safety in the congested airspace around the nation’s capital, where military and civilian aircraft routinely share corridors. Multiple agencies, including the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are coordinating the investigation.
Recovery efforts continue as teams search for remaining victims and collect debris from both aircraft. The tragedy has deeply affected multiple communities, from military families to the figure skating world, while highlighting the critical importance of air safety protocols in shared airspace.
The investigation is expected to provide crucial insights that could prevent similar incidents in the future, as authorities work to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to this devastating collision.
