According to the transgender individual, rumors about her allegedly piloting a military helicopter were actively circulated on social media.
Such fake news was spread by Russian propagandists as well. One of them, Sergey Markov, claimed on Telegram that a passenger plane was supposedly shot down on purpose and referred to transgender individuals as "mentally ill people." He asserted that Ellis had protested against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to dismiss transgender personnel from American aviation.
Ellis stated that linking the aviation disaster to politics is inappropriate.
"Some people connect me with the crash in DC, and that is not true. It is hurtful to the families – to try to associate this with some political agenda. They do not deserve that. I do not deserve this, and I hope you all know that I am alive and well," the pilot shared.
She added that there were no Virginia National Guard soldiers aboard the Black Hawk that crashed.
The Telegraph reports, citing a statement from U.S. Army Aviation Command Chief Jonathan Kozel, that the flight was commanded by a woman with 500 hours of flight experience, although her name was not disclosed.
Also on board were pilot instructor Andrew Ives with 1,000 hours of flight experience and crew chief Ryan O'Hara.
According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the crew was "experienced enough" and used night vision goggles during the flight, which were intended to help them see the approaching aircraft, the media reports.