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Decorated transgender military pilot Jo Ellis has spoken out against viral misinformation falsely claiming she was responsible for the recent fatal helicopter crash in Washington, DC.

The tragic mid-air collision, which occurred on Wednesday, involved an American Airlines plane carrying 64 passengers from Kansas and a Black Hawk military helicopter with three personnel on board. According to the BBC, 67 people are believed to have died in the accident.

Misinformation Goes Viral

Following the crash, a post from an X account called FakeGayPolitics falsely alleged that Jo Ellis was the Black Hawk pilot. Despite being entirely untrue, the claim gained traction online and was even reported by certain news outlets.

The post stated: “The pilot of the Black Hawk has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Jo Ellis, a transgender woman. Jo Ellis served in the Virginia National Guard for 15 years and transitioned while serving as a pilot. Jo has been making radicalised anti-Trump statements on socials.”

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In response to the misleading claims, Ellis took to Facebook on Friday (31 January) to debunk the rumours. Sharing a screenshot of the viral post, she wrote:

“Some craziness has happened on the internet and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash. Please report any accounts or posts you see. It’s insulting to the victims and families of those lost, and they deserve better than this BS from the bots and trolls of the internet.”

Friends and supporters expressed their outrage, with one commenting, “Some of the posts are saying it was a suicide attempt… it’s getting ridiculous on X. The level of stupidity people jump to on zero information is insane.”

Ellis, a veteran helicopter pilot, was deployed to Iraq in 2011 for Operation New Dawn, where she served as a door gunner and earned the Air Medal for her service.

Just days before the crash, on 28 January, Ellis had penned a heartfelt blog post reflecting on her military career and her experiences as a transgender service member. Her post addressed challenges faced after former President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender individuals from serving in the military.

“In 2024 I came out to my unit and started presenting publicly as a woman. Once again, I was met with overwhelming support from my unit at large. For obvious reasons, I was nervous I’d be unwelcome or make other females feel uncomfortable with my presence in the barracks, restrooms, etc. Many female soldiers in my unit offered their support. Some even went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their space.”

Ellis also clarified that she has paid for all her gender-affirming medical care out of pocket, stating, “The military hasn’t covered any of it.” She concluded her post with a powerful message about her commitment to service:

“I’ve served in the same unit for 15 years. I want to serve at least 15 more. I love my state and I love my country.”

Authorities have since confirmed that Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves and crew chief Ryan O’Hara, 29, were among those aboard the Black Hawk helicopter at the time of the crash.

Despite the ongoing investigation, former President Donald Trump has drawn criticism for blaming the incident on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. When questioned about the claim, he responded: “Because I have common sense.”

Trump went on to accuse the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of hiring individuals with disabilities, including those with hearing or vision impairments, missing limbs, paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and dwarfism.

 

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