US identifies two soldiers among remains recovered from Blackhawk helicopter crash

A law enforcement source has said that the bodies of two soldiers, a man and a woman, were retrieved from the wreckage of the Blackhawk helicopter that collided with an airplane near Washington, D.C.

A three-person crew was conducting a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines aircraft, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

One of the bodies is believed to be that of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, from Great Mills, Maryland. The other remains are thought to belong to a soldier, whose identity has been disclosed by the US Army at the request of their family.

The body of Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, from Lilburn, Georgia, was recovered earlier in the week. A passenger plane carrying 64 people has collided midair with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC. 

The PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 jet collided with a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at around 9pm on January 29 (02:00 GMT January 30), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. The plane, American Eagle Flight No. 5342, a regional jetliner, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. 

There were three soldiers aboard the Sikorsky H-60. American Airlines confirmed there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft. The US army confirmed that its helicopter was carrying three personnel.

By Naila Huseynova