A Mississippi man was reportedly one of the military pilots involved in the midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane that killed 67 in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night.
According to a social media post from Carrie Eaves, her husband, Andrew, was a pilot on the Army Black Hawk chopper that collided with the commercial airliner around 8 p.m. CT over the Potomac River. A report from the Macon Beacon says Andrew Eaves was a native of Noxubee County who grew up in the Brooksville area and graduated from Central Academy.
“We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today,” Carrie Eaves said on Facebook. “We ask for peace while we grieve.”
While an investigation is expected to yield more details about the tragedy in the days to come, officials confirmed Thursday morning that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davis Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir and was conducting a training flight before the crash.
The American Airlines plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. The airliner was in the process of landing at Reagan National Airport when the fatal collision occurred. Recovery efforts are still underway as the wreckage of both aircraft fell into the freezing water of the Potomac, but all 67 people involved are presumed dead.
President Donald Trump spoke on the disaster Thursday: “In moments like this, the differences between Americans fade to nothing compared to the bonds of affection and loyalty that unite us all — both as Americans and even as nations. We’ll find out how this disaster occurred and we’ll sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
