U.S. Army Identifies Third Soldier Killed in Helicopter Crash
The U.S. Army has released the name of the third soldier who died in a helicopter crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday. Captain Rebecca M. Lobach, 29, of Durham, North Carolina, was an aviation officer in the regular Army since 2019 and was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Lobach’s family had initially requested that her name not be released, but they have since agreed to make it public. The Army said in a statement that Lobach was a “bright star in all our lives” who worked as an advocate for victims of sexual assault and planned to become a doctor after her military service.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released new details about the crash, including the fact that the CRJ700 airplane was at an altitude of 325 feet at the time of impact. The NTSB has also determined that the helicopter was flying above 200 feet, the maximum altitude for the route it was using.
Preliminary data indicates that the control tower’s radar showed the helicopter at 200 feet at the time of the accident, although officials said the information has not been confirmed. The NTSB is still investigating the cause of the crash and has not yet determined whether the helicopter’s use of night-vision goggles played a role.
The crash occurred when the Army helicopter collided with the American Airlines passenger jet, killing 67 people in all. The names of the 60 passengers and four crew members who died on the jet have not been officially released, although many have been identified through family and social media.
Crews are preparing to remove the wreckage of the aircraft from the Potomac River starting on Sunday. Forty-two bodies have been recovered thus far, the Washington, D.C., fire department said on Saturday.