Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara remembered by fellow soldier
Chief Warrant Officer Josh Muelhendorf says Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara was a standout soldier. They worked together a lot, flew together a lot, and everyone respected him.
A Georgia high school has confirmed that one of the soldiers involved in a tragic midair collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a military helicopter was a former student and a member of their Marine Corps Junior ROTC program.
Ryan O’Hara, a 2014 graduate of Parkview High School in Lilburn, served as the crew chief of the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
RELATED: DC plane crash updates: Midair collision leaves no survivors
Ryan O’Hara (Family photo)
Black Hawk crew chief Ryan O’Hara
What we know:
According to the MCJROTC program at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ryan O’Hara, Class of 2014, was the crew chief of the Black Hawk involved in the collision near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. O’Hara was on the MCJROTC rifle team and was fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym.
Shortly after graduating from Parkview, O’Hara joined the military.
The military says the crew on board the Blackhawk helicopter was on a routine training mission.
The collision occurred as the American Airlines passenger jet, which departed from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers and four crew members, was approaching Reagan National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert about an aircraft incident approximately 15 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land. An air traffic controller reportedly instructed the helicopter to pass behind the jet moments before the collision.’
Emergency crews respond to the crash site along the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. The collision
Staff Sgt. O’Hara was married and had a 1-year-old son.
Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara remembered by close friend
What they’re saying:
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Josh Muehlendorf was stationed with Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara in Savannah in 2020. He calls O’Hara a standout soldier and says everyone respected him. “Ryan was one of the most dedicated, disciplined, and committed soldiers I’ve ever worked with,” said CW5 Josh Muehlendorf.
He says his close friends and those he has worked with over the years were stunned to hear the news. “He was chiefly concerned with the safety of his crews; the people he was training. He wanted everybody to execute their job with perfection and to come home safely,” said Muehlendorf.
Chief Warrant Officer Muehlendorf says he will always remember Staff Sgt. O’Hara for his dedication and commitment to the military and his love for his family. “As dedicated as he was to the Army and to the mission, he was really committed to his family,” said CW5 Muehlendorf.
Muehlendorf has flown on that same flight path where the mid-air collision occurred. “I’ve flown those routes in DC hundreds of times. There are very strict procedures there. It’s a very highly controlled environment,” said Muehlendorf.
Who is pilot Ryan O’Hara, crew chief on Black Hawk
A member on the Black Hawk helicopter involved, Ryan O’Hara, was also one of the victims. He was a graduate of Parkview High School in Gwinnett County.
Georgia officials remember Ryan O’Hara
Local perspective:
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wrote on X, formerly Twitter, about O’Hara and American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley:
“We send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley as they navigate this difficult time. Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short. Marty, the girls, and I ask that all Georgians join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”
Georgia House Majority Caucus Whip James Burchett (R-Waycross) also conveyed his condolences.
“Like all Americans, I mourn the loss of life in this tragic incident that claimed the lives of at least two Georgians, Ryan O’Hara and Sam Lilley,” he wrote. “While we will no doubt learn what went wrong and what we can do to prevent accidents like this in the coming weeks, I join all Georgians today in mourning the loss of these two young men and the dozens of others who lost their lives in this tragedy.”
DC plane crash: What we know
Timeline:
Emergency units arrived at the scene at 8:58 p.m., finding aircraft wreckage in the Potomac River and launching immediate rescue operations.
By 10 p.m., American Airlines confirmed that one of its planes was involved in an accident, and the FAA issued a statement.
After an overnight search, local and federal officials announced at a 7:30 a.m. news conference that they do not believe anyone survived the crash.
Names of Black Hawk crew not officially released by DOD
What we don’t know:
FOX 5 Atlanta has reached out to the school district and is attempting to contact others who may have known Ryan and can verify that he was one of the soldiers on the helicopter.
The identities of the soldiers have not been officially released by the military at this time.
However, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the helicopter was flown by a “fairly experienced crew” wearing night-vision goggles.
Ryan O’Hara (Family photo)
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One of the pilots on the American Airlines plane has been identified as Sam Lilley by his father, Timothy Lilley, who spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta from Washington, D.C., where he is waiting for news from officials. The Lilley family is from the Savannah area.
RELATED: Pilot of American Airlines jet that crashed near Washington DC had Georgia ties
