Jo Ellis, a trans National Guard helicopter pilot, who was misidentified as the captain of the Black Hawk which crashed in Washington DC, has posted a video on social media as “proof of life” to reassure people that she is alive and had not piloted the crashed helicopter. The claims that Ellis was t
Jo Ellis, a trans National Guard helicopter pilot, who was misidentified as the captain of the Black Hawk which crashed in Washington DC, has posted a video on social media as “proof of life” to reassure people that she is alive and had not piloted the crashed helicopter.
The claims that Ellis was the helicopter pilot were dismissed, when she posted a video on Facebook, saying: “I understand some people have associated me with the crash in DC and that is false.”
“The Blackhawk helicopter pilot involved in the Washington DC Reagan National Airport #planecrash has been identified as transgender military pilot Jo Ellis,” said a now-deleted January 31 post on X.
While some posts were removed or edited, others went viral on other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
According to a military official, the chopper carried three US Army soldiers, while American Airlines declared that there were 60 passengers and four crew members on board. At least 67 bodies have been recovered from the river so far, but authorities stated they do not anticipate any survivors.
However, the claims that Ellis was the helicopter pilot were dismissed, when she posted a video on Facebook, saying: “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.”
The lies, which attempted to link Ellis’s trans identity to the disaster, went viral after President Donald Trump and his supporters tried to link the Washington, D.C. crash to so-called “D.E.I. programmes,” a collection of initiatives designed to increase workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Following the crash, thousands of users on X posted pictures and information about Ellis online, causing a spike in posts and reposts. According to Trends24, “Jo Ellis” was ranking second in the US on X with almost 90,000 postings on Friday, NY Times reported.
