The bodies of two soldiers have been recovered from the wreckage of the Blackhawk helicopter that collided with a commercial airplane over Washington, D.C., according to law enforcement sources who spoke to CBS News Saturday.
The bodies belonged to a man and a woman and were recovered Friday afternoon.
The Army said in a statement Friday that the identity of the female soldier will not be released to the public at the request of her family. The other body is believed to be that of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.
The third member of the flight, Staff. Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, was recovered earlier in the week, CBS News reported.
U.S. officials confirmed that the helicopter was on a routine training flight along a route intended for emergency evacuations of senior government officials in the case of an emergency, known as a continuity of government mission.
The three soldiers killed in the collision with a commercial airplane on Wednesday night were all part of the 12th Aviation Battalion in Virginia, whose responsibilities include evacuating government officials in the event of a national crisis. The last time one of these missions was known to be held was on September 11th, 2001.
In a press conference on Thursday night, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that the crew on the Blackhawk “were on a routine, annual re-training of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission.”
The midair collision between the helicopter and an American Airlines jet claimed the lives of 67 people. Officials said Friday during a news conference that they have full confidence that they will be able to recover all 67 bodies. So far, the National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed the recovery of 41 victims.
