Who is Jo Ellis: Transgender Soldier Wrongly Linked to DC Plane Crash.
Jo Ellis, a transgender soldier with the Virginia National Guard, has spoken out after being falsely linked to the tragic crash between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet near Washington, DC. The crash, which occurred on Wednesday, claimed the lives of 67 people, making it the deadliest aviation accident in the US in nearly 25 years.
In a post on Facebook on January 31, Ellis shared a “proof of life” video to dispel the false claims that she was one of the pilots involved in the incident. "Some craziness has happened on the internet and I’m being named as one of the pilots of the DC crash," Ellis said in her post. "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."
Who is Jo Ellis?
Jo Ellis, a Chief Warrant Officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot, has served in the Virginia National Guard for 15 years.
The 15-year veteran of the Virginia National Guard, who has served in a variety of roles, including as a helicopter door gunner in Iraq, had retrained as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in 2020. She had also been deployed on humanitarian missions in Guatemala in 2014 and to Kuwait for Operation Inherent Resolve in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellis began confronting her long-standing feelings of gender dysphoria, ultimately deciding to begin a medical transition in 2023. She expressed that her transition had been supported by her commanders and fellow soldiers in the Virginia National Guard.
Jo Ellis comes from a family with a long history of military service, including her older brother and great-uncle, and initially identified as conservative. However, her political views changed after 2016 when she felt the conservative party was shifting away from values she once held dear. Now an independent, Ellis has also built a career as an IT engineer in the private sector. Outside of her military service and technical work, she enjoys flying planes, racing cars, and playing musical instruments.
The false claims about Ellis’s involvement in the crash began circulating after some conservative influencers and fringe media outlets speculated that Ellis was piloting the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash. These claims were fuelled by the suggestion that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs could have contributed to the incident. Social media users falsely connected Ellis to the crash, with one suggesting that they “wouldn’t be surprised” if the pilot was transgender. These posts also included claims about her supposed anti-Trump views, which were unfounded.
Jo Ellis quickly took to Facebook to set the record straight. “I understand some people have associated me with the crash in DC, and that is false,” she said in her 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 rumours.”
She further condemned the linking of the tragedy to political issues, adding, “I don’t really want to have to deal with all of the headlines and everything going on about my service. I want to keep my head down, serve, serve honourably and then eventually retire, maybe another 15, 20 years, or however long my body lets me fly that helicopter.”
So #MAGA made up a story about Jo Ellis being one of the pilots … Jo Ellis is alive and well
This cult can’t help but lie pic.twitter.com/yrl6B8gUv1
— CJ G (@cjgproduxions) January 31, 2025
Ellis also expressed her frustration with the political exploitation of the crash, noting, “In a time when it’s hard enough to meet recruiting numbers in the military, why would you want to kick out more soldiers that are willing to sacrifice their lives for this country?”
The US Army later identified the three soldiers who died in the crash. On February 1, the name of the third soldier was released, identified as Captain Rebecca Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina. The two other soldiers killed were Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39.
Ellis’s ordeal highlights the dangers of misinformation and the political agendas that can emerge in the wake of tragic events. In her case, false claims not only caused distress to her but also added unnecessary divisiveness to a tragedy that claimed the lives of 67 people. By speaking out and debunking the rumours, Ellis has sought to shift the focus back to the victims and their families, calling for respect and understanding during such a difficult time.
