One of the U.S. Army pilots in the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an airplane was identified by his wife who confirmed the tragic news on social media.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, of Mississippi, was killed along with other passengers and crew of the American Airlines plane and military helicopter after a mid-air collision on Wednesday night outside of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“I am sure by now all of you have heard the news of the tragedy that has occurred in DC,” Eaves’ wife wrote on Facebook. “My husband was one of the pilots in the Blackhawk. We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve.”
US Army soldier Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves of Noxubee County, Mississippi, has been identified as one of the Blackhawk pilots killed in the AA5342-PAT25 collision.
Andrew grew up in the Brooksville and graduated from Central Academy. Andrew, like the other 2 soldiers,… pic.twitter.com/J8qhCJUoLM
— Kagan.Dunlap (@Kagan_M_Dunlap) January 31, 2025
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves posted a message on X about Eaves who was from the town of Brooksville in the state.
“Mississippi is mourning the loss of Brooksville native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, who was killed in last night’s accident at Reagan National Airport,” Reeves wrote. “Elee and I are praying for the victims’ families and first responders who are assisting.”
Mississippi is mourning the loss of Brooksville native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, who was killed in last night’s accident at Reagan National Airport.
Elee and I are praying for the victims’ families and first responders who are assisting.
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) January 30, 2025
Reports have been indicating that the Black Hawk may have been flying higher than approved and may have been outside of its authorized flight path.
The pilot of the helicopter “asked the air traffic controller for permission to use a specific, predetermined route that lets helicopters fly no higher than 200 feet and that hugs the bank on the east side of the Potomac River, a location that would have let it avoid the American Airlines plane,” The New York Times reported.
“The requested route — referred to as Route 4 at Reagan — followed a specifically carved out path already known to the air traffic controller and helicopter pilot,” the report continued, noting that the pilot did not follow that route after all.
The Times noted that the military aircraft was “above 300 feet, not below 200 feet, and was at least a half-mile off the approved route when it collided with the jet.”
The Black Hawk’s pilots were familiar with the route and the altitude restrictions, according to a senior Army official who wished to remain anonymous.
“They’re military pilots; they’re familiar with the routes,” Greg Feith, a former senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said in a CBS News interview. “Why is it on this day, on that flight, they were [as much as] 150 to 200 feet higher than they knew they should be?”
CBS News noted that “Data from FlightRadar24, which tracks and records aircraft data for most flights across the U.S., showed the helicopter’s last estimated altitude was about 400 feet when it crashed. The jet’s altitude was about 375 to 400 feet, according to data from FlightAware and FlightRadar24.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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