The U.S. Army identified the third service member who was killed when a Blackhawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight crashed over the Potomac earlier this week.
Capt. Rebecca Lobach, 28, was the third soldier aboard the Blackhawk when it crashed into the commercial plane on Wednesday night. The other two service members were previously identified as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39.
Lobach, a North Carolina native, served as an aviation officer in the Army since July 2019 and had more than 450 hours of flight time before the crash. She received the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon during her time of service. She was also a White House aide in the Biden administration.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives,” Lobach’s family said in a statement released by the Army. “Rebecca was a warrior and would not hesitate to defend her country in battle.”
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The statement also noted that the decision to release her name came “at the request of and in coordination with the family” after the Army initially declined to identify the third pilot aboard the Blackhawk.
On Wednesday night, the three soldiers took off in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for a routine training exercise when it collided in midair with an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet Flight 5342 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The 64 people aboard the commercial plane, along with the three aboard the Blackhawk, were all killed.
This is a developing story and will be updated.