On January 31, Russian propaganda media outlets (Аргументы и Факты, Ura.news, Topnews) and Russian-language Facebook account spread information that a transgender female pilot was operating a helicopter during a crash in the U.S. The reports claimed that this person was Jo Ellis, a trainee pilot who allegedly flew the helicopter in a chaotic manner. Additionally, the claim stated that one day before the tragedy, Ellis posted on social media criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy of banning transgender individuals from military service.
The claim that Jo Ellis, a transgender female pilot, was flying the helicopter during the crash in Washington is disinformation. Ellis responded to the incident via a Facebook video, confirming that she is alive and was not part of the crew.
Jo Ellis is a transgender pilot in the Virginia Army National Guard and was not on board during the crash. She has been working in this profession for 15 years. Ellis addressed the false claims on Facebook by recording a video in which she stated that she was not a crew member and is alive.
Jo Ellis, pilot: “I understand some people have associated me with the crash in [Washington] D.C., and that is false. 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.”

Several international media outlets (nytimes.com, cnn.com, newsweek.com, independent.co.uk) have reported on this issue.
This false claim gained traction after U.S. President Donald Trump linked the Washington aviation crash to so-called D.E.I. programs. These programs aim to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
There is no evidence that such programs played any role in the crash.
On January 30, near Reagan National Airport, an American Airlines passenger plane Bombardier CRJ700 and a U.S. military helicopter Black Hawk collided mid-air. As a result, all 67 people on board both aircraft lost their lives. The American Airlines plane was piloted by Jonathan Campos, while the Black Hawk helicopter was piloted by Rebecca Lobach. There is no evidence that either of them was transgender.
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