Soldier, mentor, friend: Black Hawk pilot killed in crash was Durham native, UNC grad
As a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill ROTC, Lexi Freas knew of Capt. Rebecca Lobach, a Black Hawk pilot and 2019 graduate. But when Freas met Lobach in person and flew with her in an actual Black Hawk two years ago, Freas fell in love with the whirring rush of the blades rippling the grass and lifting them up over Washington, D.C., and the Potomac River. The ride, and Lobach, set Freas’ life in a new direction.
“I saw her passion for it, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps,” said Freas, 22, who starts pilot school in April thanks to Lobach’s mentorship. But now Lobach will never see her actually graduate, nor follow through on her own plan to go to medical school.
The U.S. Army announced Saturday that Lobach, 28, a Durham native and UNC graduate, died while co-piloting the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines flight near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday. None of the passengers survived. As of Sunday morning, recovery efforts continued and the wreckage of the helicopter remained in the Potomac River.
As experts and others speculate about the potential cause of the crash and the delayed release of Lobach’s name, Freas and others who knew Lobach continued to grapple with the loss of their meticulous, determined and hardworking friend who channeled her energy and talent into helping her friends, her colleagues and her country, they said.
“She always wanted to serve and do hard things for the country,” Freas said, including choosing aviation, known as one of the hardest Army branches to get into.
Lobach was one of two pilots and three Army soldiers who died on the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in the American Airlines flight around 9 p.m. Wednesday while on a training mission, according to the Army. Both aircraft fell into the Potomac River, and all 67 people on the flights died, the Associated Press reported.
The Army on Friday released the names of the two other soldiers on the helicopter, Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland.
Lobach’s name was withheld at the request of the family, according to the Army. It said Saturday it was releasing her name at the family’s request.
Choosing aviation as a career
While Lobach didn’t choose aviation until she was in college, it did make an early appearance in her life. She played for the Durham Flight homeschool athletics basketball team and went on to play at Sewanee University of the South in Tennessee.
In high school, she was a “hotshot” basketball player and a team leader who who ignored frivolous distractions, said Dea Irby, whose husband Tom coached Lobach back then.
At Sewanee, Lobach was a great teammate and even better student, said Dickie McCarthy, the women’s basketball coach Lobach’s sophomore year.
“She worked extremely hard in the classroom and on the court,” McCarthy said in a statement. “The Sewanee basketball family mourns this tragic loss and appreciates her service to our country.”
Lobach transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill her junior year, joining ROTC and the North Carolina Army National Guard. Lobach graduated from UNC and the ROTC program in 2019, among the top 20% of cadets nationwide.
Capt. Bilal Kordab met Lobach around 2018 at UNC-Chapel Hill and recruited her to the North Carolina Army National Guard, he said. She was kind, respectful and determined.
“She was very levelheaded, you know, not your typical college student,” he said.
She was also academically gifted, he said.
Warrant Officer 1 Jasmine Johnson, an Apache pilot with the North Carolina National Guard, met Lobach after she transferred to UNC.
Lobach came in on an accelerated pathway with just two years to complete what everyone else did in four. And she said she “absolutely crushed it.”
“She came in and started just outperforming me and it stayed that way the entire time, which I’m proud of,” she said. “It was good motivation, a friendly competition that we had for two years.”
In a statement released Saturday, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said, “It’s always painful to lose a member of the Carolina community, especially a young, accomplished and promising alumna such as Captain Lobach.... We extend our sincere condolences and our gratitude for her brave service.”
In college, Lobach decided that she not only wanted to go into combat arms but also aviation, said 1st Lt. Samantha Brown, who met Lobach when she transferred from another school and joined ROTC at UNC. Lobach immediately welcomed her and invited her to hang out and have drinks.
“We’ve just been best friends since,” Brown said.
Lobach also had a softer side, Brown said. She liked to bake bagels, sourdough bread and lemon coffee cake that she would often give to people.
Serving in the White House
Lobach twice served as a platoon leader in the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the family’s statement said.
Lobach earned a pilot-in-command certification after 450 hours of flight time and extensive testing, her family said.
She also served as a White House military social aide, volunteering to support former President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in hosting White House events, including ceremonies to celebrate Medal of Honor recipients.
Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to the former first lady, told The News & Observer that Lobach “was known as a phenomenal pilot and White House Social Aide.”
“Rebecca’s larger-than-life personality brought the White House to life for so many guests,” he said. “She made everyone feel welcome. From the moment they entered to the moment they departed, she truly made the White House the People’s House.”
Lobach was also a victim advocate for the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program and hoped to become a physician after she left the Army, her family said.
“She was a servant, a caregiver, an advocate. Most of all, she loved and was loved. Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her,” her family’s statement said.
Johnson, the pilot who went to UNC, said Lobach loved the Black Hawk’s mission statement of being there and supporting the troops on the ground. The versatile helicopter can be used for combat mission and evacuate people who have been hurt.
“It’s a very, very rewarding thing to be able to provide an asset to soldiers who are probably having a hard day,” said Johnson, a fellow UNC graduate and an Army aviator.
Lobach was really good at what she did, Johnson and others said.
“She earned her spot as an aviator, earned her wings, and was good at her job,” Johnson said.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Soldier, mentor, friend: Black Hawk pilot killed in crash was Durham native, UNC grad."
