A military exercise meant to prepare for a national emergency ended in tragedy when a UH-60 Black Hawk collided with a commercial airliner over Washington, D.C.
The drill, part of a “continuity of government” operation, was designed to ensure that high-ranking officials could be evacuated in the event of a catastrophic attack on the federal government, as reported by The Western Journal.

Instead, the night exercise turned fatal, claiming the lives of 64 airline passengers and crew members, along with three Army personnel aboard the helicopter.
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The ill-fated aircraft belonged to the 12th Aviation Battalion, an elite unit tasked with whisking senior government officials to secure locations if the country ever faced a major crisis.
The Pentagon confirmed that the helicopter was conducting a routine nighttime training flight along a designated corridor when it collided with an American Airlines jet over the Potomac River.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the mission’s classified nature but confirmed to Fox News that the exercise was part of a larger effort to ensure top government officials could be swiftly relocated in case of an emergency.
The goal was to “rehearse in ways that would reflect a real-world scenario,” he said, while declining to disclose further details.
At a White House briefing, Jonathan Koziol, the Army’s aviation directorate chief of staff, elaborated on the battalion’s role.
“If something really bad happens in this area, we need to move our senior leaders quickly and safely,” he explained. “Our pilots must be familiar with the environment, air traffic, and flight routes to ensure secure travel.”

The three Army crew members lost in the crash were identified as Capt. Rebecca Lobach of Durham, North Carolina; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves of Great Mills, Maryland; and Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara of Lilburn, Georgia.
The Defense Department released their names over the weekend.
This mission isn’t a new one for the unit. It played a key role during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when a similar operation was put into action to protect top government officials.
Former Army aviation officer Bradley Bowman, who took part in that critical mission, recalled evacuating then-Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.
“The battalion helped transport some senior leaders out of Washington, D.C. to ‘hide sites,’” Bowman explained.
Piloting a Black Hawk, he flew Wolfowitz to a secure location before making the return trip to the Pentagon.
But with regular landing zones compromised in the chaos, Bowman had to improvise—setting the helicopter down in a traffic circle on Interstate 395.

Among the locations designated for these emergency evacuations is the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, a secure bunker nestled in Pennsylvania’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Known as the “underground Pentagon,” it serves as a command center in the event of a nuclear strike or other national emergency.
This tragic accident raises serious questions about how these drills are conducted, particularly in heavily trafficked airspace. While ensuring the safety of government leaders is critical, the loss of innocent lives in the name of preparedness is an outcome no one should accept lightly.
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