Social media posts misidentify transgender pilot Jo Ellis as a crew member on Black Hawk helicopter

Many questions remain after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet Jan. 29 in Washington, D.C., leaving no survivors.

Two members of the helicopter crew have been identified, but as the third crew member remains unnamed, some social media users spread rumors about that person’s identity.

A Jan. 31 Facebook post contained a screenshot of an article that read, "Pilot of Blackhawk helicopter that crashed into passenger jet at Reagan National was a transgender woman named Jo Ellis."

"Sad, really sad. Mental illness caused by our own government actions?" the Facebook post’s caption read.

(Screenshot from Facebook)

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The claim also spread on X.

But it is untrue. Ellis, a Black Hawk pilot and member of the Virginia Army National Guard, posted a video Jan. 31 on Facebook as proof that she is alive.

"Some craziness has happened on the internet and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash. Please report any accounts or posts you see," Ellis posted Jan. 31 on Facebook. "It’s insulting to the victims and families of those lost and they deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet."

She posted a video in which she said, "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false… I hope that you all know that I’m alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors."

The article in the screenshot was published by the Santa Monica Observer, a site that has previously spread falsehoods. Its "about" page says, "The Newspaper and its content website, www.smobserved.com, do not shy from controversy. In general, we look at Santa Monica's neoliberal politics with skepticism."

The article described the accident as a "murder suicide," for which there is no evidence. It said podcaster Luke Ford identified Ellis as the Black Hawk helicopter pilot. "We are reporting a rumor," the article read. It mentioned that Ellis "had been vocal against Trump the day before (in) an interview."

The Santa Monica Observer later updated the article, saying Ellis "is alive and was not involved in the incident at Reagan National Airport."

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Instagram posts

stated on January 31, 2025 in a post on Instagram

CNN reported on the Potomac River plane and helicopter crash “hours before it happened.”

Ford uploaded a video Jan. 30 on which he listened to a Jan. 29 interview with Ellis on "The Smerconish Podcast." In the interview with host Michael Smerconish, Ellis identified herself as independent and said, "I saw the conservative party moving in a direction that didn’t align with what I believe to be conservative values," and that 2016 was a personal "turning point."

She said President Donald Trump’s executive order that prohibits transgender people from serving in the military made her "nervous" and "distracted."

"I have shown that I’m capable of doing my job. I wanna continue doing my job," she said. "In a time when it’s hard enough to meet recruiting numbers in the military, why would you want to, you know, kick out more soldiers that are willing to sacrifice their life for this country?" 

On Jan. 28, Ellis published an essay on Smerconish.com titled, "Living to Serve, Living as Myself: A Transgender Service Member’s Perspective." She wrote about her experience as a transgender woman in the military, starting her gender transition in 2023 and coming out to her unit in 2024. "I’ve paid out of pocket for all my trans-related care. The military hasn’t covered any of it," she wrote.

Two members of the helicopter crew have been identified as Ryan O’Hara and Andrew Eaves.

PolitiFact contacted the U.S. Army and will update this story if we hear back.

It’s not uncommon following breaking news events, such as school shootings and the July 13 Trump assassination attempt, for social media users to spread claims misidentifying perpetrators or claim those perpetrators are transgender. PolitiFact previously reported that data does not support claims of increased LGBTQ+ extremist violence.

Ellis was not a pilot in the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in Washington, D.C. We rate that claim Pants on Fire!