Army Black Hawk Crew Chief Involved In D.C. Crash Identified As Ryan O’Hara
on Jan 31, 2025
Victims Of The Black Hawk And American Airlines Collision Identified As Recovery Efforts Continue
Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief of the Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, has been identified.
American Airlines flight 5342 flew into Washington, D.C., from Witchita, Kansas, on the evening of January 29. As it approached the airport for landing, the plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter reportedly on a training mission.
Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River below. Extensive search efforts started almost immediately after the collision.
On Thursday (January 30), officials shared they did not expect to find any survivors. The American Airlines plane carried 60 passengers and 4 crew members, while 3 individuals were on the helicopter.
D.C.-based news station NBC 4 reports the search teams recovered an estimated 40 bodies from the Potomac River by Thursday evening.
Loved ones have started to identify the victims of the crash. Several members of the U.S. Figure Skating team and others connected to the community were among the passengers on Flight 5342.
Members of the skating community expressed their heartbreak, including Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. She shared a tearful speech in honor of the victims.
Ryan O’Hara Identified As Crew Chief Of The Army Black Hawk Helicopter
Another one of the identified victims is Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief onboard the Army Black Hawk.
FOX 5 out of Atlanta, Georgia, reports that O’Hara graduated from Parkview High School in 2014. He participated in the school’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC program.
FOX 5 reports O’Hara earned a reputation as “a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym.“
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf met O’Hara in Savannah in 2020. Muehlendorf remembers his friend as an excellent soldier who everyone respected. He called him “one of the most dedicated, disciplined, and committed soldiers.”
FOX 5 states O’Hara was married and had a one-year-old son.
Additionally, Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves, another one of the three soldiers on the Black Hawk, has also been identified. His family shared a statement about their loss.
The Department of the Army later identified O’Hara and Eaves as two of the three soldiers on the Black Hawk. Their statement read:
“Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, is believed to be deceased pending positive identification.”
“The remains of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, have not yet been recovered…”
The Army also said, “At the request of the family, the name of the third Soldier will not be released at this time.”
Our prayers go out to Eaves and O’Hara’s loved ones and to all affected by this tragedy. Learn how you can help some of the victims’ families here.
