By The Associated Press’s Lolita C. Baldor
Washington The third soldier killed Wednesday when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight close to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., was identified by the Army on Saturday.
Since July 2019, Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach of Durham, North Carolina, has been an Army aviation officer. Among her honors are an accomplishment medal and an Army commendation medal.
Her family said in an Army statement that she was in the top 20% of cadets nationwide and a notable military graduate from the University of North Carolina’s ROTC. According to them, she had over 450 hours of flight time and passed rigorous testing conducted by her battalion’s most senior and seasoned pilots to become certified as a pilot-in-command.
Her family also mentioned that she was a certified victim advocate for sexual harassment/assault response and prevention and that she aspired to become a doctor after leaving the Army.
The loss of Rebecca, our darling, has crushed us. She shone brightly in each of our lives. Her qualities included kindness, generosity, intelligence, humor, ambition, and strength. The message said, “We ask that you kindly respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.”
At the request of her family, Lobach’s identity was concealed at the time, but the names of the other two troops were disclosed on Friday. The others were pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and crew chief Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O. Hara, 28 of Lilburn, Georgia.
On Saturday, February 1, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia, Roberto Marquez of Dallas plants flowers at a monument for the 67 people killed in a midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)
The Army has not provided a precise justification for the one-day delay in naming her. Although the crash inquiry is still in its early stages, President Donald Trump has publicly accused the chopper of operating at an excessive altitude. Additionally, he published a detailed critique of the FAA’s diversity hiring effort, claiming that it undermined flight safety, specifically with reference to air traffic controllers.
There is no proof that the crash was caused in any way by FAA diversification regulations.
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