Another victim in D.C. mid-air collision had deep Georgia ties
Brian Ellis Credit: U.S. Naval Academy
ATLANTA - A third victim in last week’s mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., has been identified as a person with deep ties to the state of Georgia.
What we know:
According to The Baltimore Banner, 53-year-old Brian Ellis was aboard an American Airlines flight when it collided with a military helicopter. Ellis, who lived in Virginia, was returning home from a work trip in Kansas at the time of the incident.
The backstory:
Ellis graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1993, where he played football, according to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. Before his military career, Ellis attended Morrow High School in Georgia, where he was a standout quarterback and a talented trombone player, classmates and a former teacher recalled.
Ellis spent 22 years in the Marine Corps, mostly as a helicopter pilot and achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel, before retiring in 2015. At the time of his death, he was employed by Deloitte.
He is survived by his parents, two siblings, his wife and two sons, according to The Capital Gazette.
Who else was killed
A total of 67 people were killed in the tragic incident. At this time, 55 of the 67 bodies have been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River, according to officials.
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Two others with ties to Georgia were involved in the incident.
Ryan O'Hara was the crew chief on the Black Hawk involved and Samuel Lilley, who was a pilot, was the first officer on the American Airlines flight.
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Although all 3 soldiers on the Black Hawk have been identified by the U.S. Army, a manifest for the American Airlines flight has not been released.
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Other passengers included a group of friends and hunters from southern Maryland; 14 members of the skating community who were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita; 4 steamfitters from Maryland; a Howard University law professor; former students from Loudon County and Fairfax County; a healthcare consultant, two attorneys, a mother of two and a father of 3; and 2 Chinese nationals.