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THE third soldier on board the doomed Black Hawk military helicopter which crashed into an American Airlines plane has been named.
Female co-pilot Rebecca Lobach, 28, tragically died in the midair collision alongside 66 others including two fellow soldiers and 64 passengers and crew on the jet.
A heartfelt statement from her family was issued through the US Army, it read: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca.
“She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong.
“No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.”
A packed American Airlines plane was struck by a Black Hawk helicopter that was flying in the middle of its descent path.
Three soldiers on board the Black Hawk, including a new dad from Atlanta, died when the helicopter smashed into the incoming jet.
All 60 travellers, including four crew members, died on board the plane after it erupted into a fireball and shattered into three pieces due to the chilling impact.
Both aircraft then plunged into the Potomac River as emergency operations were launched.
Hopes for survivors quickly faded as rescue crews worked through the night in dark, cold conditions.
After just a few hours the mission changed from a rescue to a recover operation with all passengers feared dead.
Officials confirmed there are no survivors – marking it the deadliest US air crash since November 2001.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy admitted the crash was “absolutely” preventable as investigations were quickly launched into the cause of the disaster.
Black boxes that could hold crucial clues have been dredged up from the plane wreckage in the Potomac River.
Officials say a preliminary report is expected to be issued within 30 days as divers continue to recover pivotal debris.
But as the nation grieves, frustrated families of the victims are demanding answers over how what should have been a routine flight to Ronald Reagan Airport ended in disaster.
It later emerged at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport in the last three years.
A passenger flight even had to abort a landing at the airport just a day before the tragedy.
Republic Airways Flight 4514 was forced to back out of touching down and had to make a second approach after a helicopter appeared near its flight path, the Washington Post reported.
Duffy yesterday said he agreed with Donald Trump that the crash “looks like it should have been prevented”.
He insisted, however, there was “not a breakdown” in communication between the helicopter’s pilots and the American Airlines flight.
Washington DC plane crash victims
A mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter has left 67 dead. The victims include:
- Captain Jonathan Campos, 34
- First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29
- Flight attendant Ian Epstein
- Flight attendant Danashia Brown Elder
- Spencer Lane, 16
- Christine Lane, 49
- Jinna Han, 13
- Jin Han
- Evgenia Shishkova, 52
- Vadim Naumov, 55
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Angela Yang
- Sean Kay
- Peter Livingston
- Donna Smojice Livingston
- Everly Livingston, 14
- Alydia Livingston, 11
- Inna Volyanskaya
- Asra Hussain Raza, 26
- Michael Stovall, 40
- Jesse Pitcher, 30
- Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33
- Wendy Jo Shaffer
- Kiah Duggins
- Black Hawk crew chief Ryan O’Hara
- Black Hawk soldier Andrew Eaves
- Olivia Ter, 12
- Pergentino Malabed Jr
