The Army has identified two of the three helicopter crew members who died in the crash.
The Army on Friday released the names of two aviators who were killed when their Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Wednesday night.
But in an extraordinary step, the Army did not identify the third crew member, citing her family's request for privacy.
Typically, the names of service members killed during a peacetime accident or in combat zones are made public about 24 hours after their relatives have been notified. It is highly unusual for the military to withhold the name of a soldier killed while on duty.
'At the request of the family, the name of the third soldier will not be released at this time,' the Army said in a news release, adding that the soldier's remains had not yet been recovered.
The two pilots that the Army identified were Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga., and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md. Officer Eaves's remains also have not been recovered, according to the release.
It is unclear what motivated the third pilot's family to ask that her name not be released. But the request comes as President Trump, without citing any evidence and before the investigation is completed, has blamed the Black Hawk helicopter crew for the midair disaster that killed 67 people.
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