Jo Ellis has a remarkable record of service in the US military, but this week she was blamed for one of the worst commercial passenger plane crashes in the USA in years. Even though she had nothing to do with it.
When a passenger place tragically collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter above the Potomac River in Washington DC this week, internet sleuths were quick off the mark to blame the pilot, who is transgender, for the disaster.
Before official sources had named the three crew members of the helicopter who had died, alongside 64 passengers and crew on the jet, Jo Ellis was being blamed with suggestions she was allegedly mentally unstable, unqualified to fly the chopper, and worst of all – may have deliberately caused the incident.
Theories on how Ellis was to blame quickly spread around the internet and social media platforms with anti-transgender activists and fringe media outlets picking up the accusation. Australia was not immune to the false story.
Ellis posted what has been labeled a ‘proof of life’ video declaring that she was alive and well, and had nothing to do with the incident.
In fact her record in the Virginia National Guard is impressive. She served in Iraq as a helicopter door gunner, then in Kuwait as part of the multi-national fight against the Islamic State. And in 2023, with the support of her commanders, she began transitioning to female.
“I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false,” Ellis said in a video posted to Facebook.
The accusation that Ellis was to blame for the crash came during a vacuum of information when the Pentagon declined to release the names of the pilots, as their families needed some time to ensure all their loved ones were informed of their deaths.
At the same time it came against the backdrop of new US President Donald Trump signing an executive order to remove all transgender personnel from the armed forces, and a press conference where he blamed diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives for the accident.
The day of the tragedy Ellis had featured in an online article and a podcast interview, sharing her experience of transitioning gender as a serving member of the US armed forces.
Speaking to CNN Ellis said she first became aware of the rapidly spreading story on Friday morning when a friend sent her a text message.
She looked online and saw a Pakistan based newspaper had published an article blaming her for the accident, and soon reporters from around the globe were trying to contact her. But by then the internet was off and racing and she was getting an onslaught of abusive comments.
“I was not surprised by the hate, this is my reality, and now that I’m more visible, the more it comes.” Ellis told Michael Smerconish.
Ellis said she had been surprised by the huge number of strangers reaching out and wishing her well.
“I was surprised by the outpouring of love and support though, strangers from all over the world have been sending me love and messages – and I believe that love shines brighter than hate,” Ellis shared.
Ellis said she felt the comments from President Trump blaming diversity and inclusion initiatives for the tragedy had put the lives of transgender people at risk.
Although she’s experienced in flying the Blackhawk helicopter Ellis said she couldn’t comment on the accident because she’s not a trained accident investigator.
President Trump has been criticised for making his comments about the cause of the accident ahead of the official investigation.
On Sunday night it was announced that the third member of the helicopter crew had been 28-year-old Captain Rebecca M Lobach from Durham, North Carolina.
