After withholding at the request of the family the name of the female pilot killed in the mid-air collision Wednesday night between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA/American Airlines passenger plane on final approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., the Army issued a statement Saturday afternoon from her family identifying the pilot as 28-year-old Capt. Rebecca Lobach from Durham, N.C.
The other two soldiers killed in the crash previously identified by the Army are Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.
Lobach was part of a three-man crew flying a training mission for “continuity of government” down the Potomac River when the collision occurred, killing all three crew members on the Black Hawk based at nearby Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and all 60 passengers and four crew members on the flight out of Wichita, Kansas.
Lobach, who had over 450 hours of flying experience, recently served as a military social aide at the Biden White House.
Last month, Capt. Lobach escorted fashion designer @RalphLauren at the White House when he received his Presidential Medal of Freedom. https://t.co/GyTGMliwaI pic.twitter.com/fDMX5W3m40
— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) February 1, 2025
STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY of Capt Rebecca Lobach, the Army Blackhawk co-pilot:
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.
Rebecca began her career in the United States Army as a distinguished military graduate in ROTC at the University of North Carolina, and was in the top 20% of cadets nationwide. She achieved the rank of Captain, having twice served as a Platoon Leader and as a Company Executive Officer in the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. With more than 450 hours of flight time, she earned certification as a pilot-in-command after extensive testing by the most senior and experienced pilots in her battalion.
Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle. But she was as graceful as she was fierce: in addition to her duties as an Army aviator, Rebecca was honored to serve as a White House Military Social Aide, volunteering to support the President and First Lady in hosting countless White House events, including ceremonies awarding the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Rebecca cared about people, and she extended to individuals the same fearless defense she gave to this nation. She was proud of the difference she made as a certified Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Victim Advocate and hoped to continue her education so she could serve this country as a physician when her time with the Army ended. She once said, “My experiences with SHARP have reinforced my resolve to serve others with compassion, understanding, and the resources necessary for healing.”
Rebecca was many things. She was a daughter, sister, partner, and friend. She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. Most of all, she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her. Our hearts break for the other families who have lost loved ones in this national tragedy and we mourn with them.
We request that you please respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss.”
Davis Winkle, who served in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Army ROTC with Lobach and later became a reporter for USA Today, posted about the loss of his friend on X (excerpt):
I’m heartbroken to share that my friend Capt. Rebecca Lobach died in Wednesday evening’s crash near DC’s National Airport.
Rebecca was brilliant and fearless, a talented pilot and a PT stud. We trained and commissioned together from @UNCArmyROTC, and we had a lot of fun along the way, too.
We were both latecomers to the ROTC program, enrolling partway through the third year, and quickly bonded over being the new kids on the block.
…Rebecca played a crucial role in helping me navigate the hardest periods of my personal life. Our friend group sustained me and kept me engaged when every fiber of my being wanted to just go numb to this world. I owe her so much.
We stayed in touch after she commissioned as an active duty Black Hawk pilot, and I as an HR officer in the NC Army National Guard. After I went into journalism, she would call me when I wrote a funny or interesting story.
I wish we’d taken a photo together when we had lunch a year ago. I wish I’d remembered to invite her to a party I hosted a week ago. I wish she weren’t dead.
You are so missed, Rebecca. This world won’t be the same without you.
I’m heartbroken to share that my friend Capt. Rebecca Lobach died in Wednesday evening’s crash near DC’s National Airport.
Rebecca was brilliant and fearless, a talented pilot and a PT stud. We trained and commissioned together from @UNCArmyROTC, and we had a lot of fun along… pic.twitter.com/ZaKgWssdSI
— Davis Winkie (@davis_winkie) February 1, 2025
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