Two days after a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet in Washington D.C., on Jan. 29, 2025, rumors began spreading that the pilot of the helicopter was Jo Ellis, a transgender woman who serves in the Virginia Army National Guard as a pilot.
Users spread the claim dozens of times, racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
(X user @FakeGayPolitics)
This claim was false. Ellis was quick to respond, posting on her Facebook account that the posts were "insulting to the victims and families of those lost."
Approximately two hours later, Ellis posted a "proof of life" video, saying:
Interesting morning. This is Jo Ellis, I am a Black Hawk pilot with Virginia Army National Guard. I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C. and that is false. It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda; they don't deserve that, I don't deserve this, and I hope you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors. I also have a statement: The Department of Defense is responsible for casualty notifications. There were no Virginia National Guard personnel on that Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening. Thank you.
Ellis published a story (archived) for media outlet Smerconish.com on Jan. 28, 2025, that many social media users shared (claiming it as proof that Ellis intentionally caused the collision), writing that she transitioned in 2024 and paid out of pocket for all her gender-affirming care.
On Jan. 31, the Army identified two of the three dead soldiers as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara. On Feb. 1, the third was identified as Captain Rebecca Lobach.