Trans-identified National Guard soldier dispels rumors after wrongly identified as pilot in DC crash

A trans-identified pilot with the Virginia National Guard has spoken out after being wrongly identified as one of the victims in a fatal crash involving a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.
The mid-air collision Wednesday night, which resulted in the tragic deaths of 64 passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 and three soldiers in the helicopter, marked the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since 2009. Both aircraft plummeted into the Potomac River, claiming the lives of all on board.
Following the crash, a Facebook post on Friday that went viral claimed that the trans-identified chief warrant officer, who goes by the name Jo Ellis, was among the deceased.
"Sad, really sad. Mental illness caused by our own government actions?" the Facebook post’s caption read.
Later that day, Ellis posted a message in response, stating, "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. 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."
Ellis shared a video Friday morning as “proof of life” that he was not one of the victims killed in the crash.
“I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C.,” said Ellis. “And that is false. It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this.”
Ellis also shared what appeared to be an official 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.”
Ellis’ statement came after several social media posts falsely linked him to the crash before the identities of all the crew members were disclosed. The wife of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, of Mississippi, confirmed his death on social media, while the crew chief on the helicopter was identified as Ryan O'Hara.
The Pentagon stated that the investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing.
U.S. Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport of figure skating, said in a statement that several members of the figure skating community were on the American Airlines flight.
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas,” officials at the figure skating body said.
In response to the crash, President Donald Trump said the crash victims are in the "warm embrace of a loving God" and appeared to link the collision to a push for diversity, equity and inclusion by the federal government.
"On behalf of the first lady, myself and 340 million Americans, our hearts are shattered alongside yours and our prayers are with you now and in the days to come," Trump told reporters Thursday. "We're here for you to wipe away the tears and to offer you our devotion, our love and our support."
Trump noted that he signed an executive order "restoring our highest standards for air traffic controllers and other important jobs throughout the country" shortly after taking office last week, condemning policies implemented by the Biden administration.
The president cited a Fox News article highlighting how the Federal Aviation Administration's "diversity push includes a focus on hiring people with 'severe intellectual' and 'psychiatric' disabilities" because of a belief that people with such disabilities are "the most underrepresented segment of the workforce."
Trump said, "The FAA [was] actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website."
The president asserted that the pilot of the passenger aircraft was "doing everything right" by "using the same track as everybody else" when attempting to land the plane while raising questions as to why the helicopter was at "the same height" and "going at an angle that was unbelievably bad."