A UNC alumna and Triangle native was revealed Saturday afternoon to be among the casualties in the fatal crash between a U.S. Army helicopter and passenger jet crash on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

With permission from her family, the U.S. Army identified Capt. Rebecca Lobach as one of three soldiers who were performing a training mission near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when the helicopter collided with a landing American Airlines flight. Lobach, who was from Durham, graduated from UNC in 2019 after going through the school’s ROTC program and was in the top 20% of cadets in the country.

The Army’s statement said Lobach had served as an aviation officer since shortly after her college graduation, assigned to the 12th Aviation Battlion in Fort Belvoir, Va. While she had no deployments, she earned the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon during her five and a half years of service.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca,” Lobach’s family said in a release through the U.S. Army. “She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals.”

Shortly after Lobach was identified, UNC shared a note from Chancellor Lee Roberts extending the university community’s thoughts and prayers to her family and those affected by her loss.

“It is always painful to lose a member of the Carolina community, especially a young, accomplished and promising alumna such as Captain Lobach,” wrote Roberts. “On behalf of the University, we extend our sincere condolences and our gratitude for her brave services.”

The other two military members in the helicopter, 28-year-old Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara and 39-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, were identified by the U.S. Army on Friday. National Transportation Safety Board investigators are still evaluated the exact sequence that led to the mid-air crash around 9 p.m. on Wednesday — but officials have declared it as fatal to all involved, with 67 people dead in total.

To read the full statement from Rebecca Lobach family’s on her death, click here.

 

Featured photo via UNC ROTC on Facebook.

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