The U.S. Army has identified Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara as one of the pilots killed when a military helicopter crashed into a commercial airliner from Wichita Wednesday night.
Military officials reported that O’Hara, 28, along with Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, and Capt. Rebecca M. Lobach were aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducting a training mission near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., when their helicopter collided with American Airlines flight 5342, according to a U.S. Army news release.
Over 60 people were killed when the passenger plane exploded and crashed over the Potomac River. There were no survivors.
“Our top priority is to assist in the recovery efforts, while fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other investigative agencies to determine the cause of this tragic incident,” Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp said in the news release.
O’Hara was from Lilburn, Georgia, and graduated from Parkview High School in 2014. He was a four-year cadet from their Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. O’Hara is survived by his wife and 1-year-old son, according to the high school’s ROTC Facebook Post.
“Peace be with all who knew and loved this young man,” the program said in the post.
He received several awards and commendations, including the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the NATO Medal.
Chief Warrant Officer Josh Muehlendorf was stationed with O’Hara in Savannah in 2020. Muehlendorf told Fox 5 in Atlanta that O’Hara was a standout and highly respected soldier.
“Ryan was one of the most dedicated, disciplined, and committed soldiers I’ve ever worked with,” Muehlendorf said.
Muehlendorf said he and his friends were shocked when they heard about the crash.
“(Ryan) was chiefly concerned with the safety of his crews; the people he was training. He wanted everybody to execute their job with perfection and to come home safely,” he said.
Muehlendorf also told Fox 5 he had flown the same flight path where the mid-air collision occurred.
“I’ve flown those routes in D.C. hundreds of times. There are very strict procedures there. It’s a very highly controlled environment,” he said.
In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp expressed his condolences to the families and friends of O’Hara and American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley, who was from Georgia.
“Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short … ,” Kemp said.
“Our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy, and we will support them through this difficult time,” Bredenkamp, commander of Joint Task Force for the National Capital Region/U.S. Military District of Washington, said.
O’Hara served as a UH-60 helicopter repairer since July 2014 and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he served from March 2017 to August 2017, according to the release.
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