U.S. Army has identified two of the three soldiers who died in Wednesday’s collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, and Staff Sergeant Ryan O’Hara, 28, were named on Friday.
The third pilot’s name, a female soldier, was withheld because of what officials described as a “sensitive matter.”
President Donald Trump has criticized the helicopter crew and suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs could have contributed to the incident.
Radar playback, public flight tracking data, and other information indicate the Black Hawk was flying above a 200-foot ceiling for helicopters in the area.
Search crews have so far recovered 41 bodies from the airplane, with 28 victims positively identified, D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly told reporters on Friday.
It is unusual for the Army to withhold the identity of a fallen service member, but officials said they are respecting privacy concerns in this case.
National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, and they have not publicly stated whether pilot error or mechanical failure is suspected.
