A transgender military pilot posted a "proof of life" video Friday to refute rumors spread on social media that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night, killing 67 people.
"I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false," Jo Ellis, a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia Army National Guard, said in the Facebook video. "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. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors."
Several hours prior to posting the video, Ellis shared a screenshot on her Facebook account of an X post in which someone had shared two images of her and made the false claim that she was the Black Hawk pilot involved in the deadly crash.
Ellis did not immediately return a request for additional comment.
A Virginia National Guard spokesperson confirmed that Ellis, a chief warrant officer 2, is a currently serving soldier and that there were “no Virginia National Guard personnel on board the Black Hawk that collided with the jetliner Wednesday evening."
At least two news websites, Santa Monica Observer, based in Santa Monica, California, and The Express Tribune, based in Pakistan, reported on the rumors, with the Observer reporting as fact that Ellis was on board the helicopter and questioning whether...
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