Pal of doomed chopper pilot in midair DC crash shares emotional tribute: Brilliant and fearless

A grieving pal of US Army Capt.Rebecca Lobach, who was on the doomed military chopper that crashed into a passenger jet in DC, remembered her as “brilliant and fearless” in a moving tribute Saturday.Army vet and USA Today reporter Davis Winkie credited the killed pilot as instrumental in helping him navigate the “hardest periods” of his personal life during their time together in the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Army ROTC.“Rebecca was brilliant and fearless, a talented pilot and a PT stud,” Winkie wrote on X, noting both he and Lobach bonded over being “latecomers” to the ROTC program, joining midway through their third year.Winkie recalled how Lobach was seemingly drawn to helicopters during a “branch day” in 2018 when cadets were taught about different Army officer career paths.“She was a few feet in front of me when she stopped, turned, and pointed out an MH-6 Little Bird (an incredibly small helicopter!).

She shot me a mischievous smile and said something like, ‘Think we can both fit?’ ” Winkie wrote.“My dear readers: I am 6’6″ and Rebecca (a former college basketball player) is at least 5’8″,” he said, “But I’ll be damned if we didn’t somehow stuff ourselves into that cockpit.“My neck hurt, and I don’t think we would’ve been able to fly it very well, but we were both beaming in the selfie she took,” he added, sharing the photo the pair took seated next to each other in the helicopter.Winkie and Lobach also shared a love of bar trivia, according to his tribute, which noted their team was “rarely victorious but was never defeated.” He also credited Lobach and the rest of their friend group with helping him stay afloat while navigating through personal struggles.“Our friend group sustained me and kept me engaged when every fiber of my being wanted to just go numb to this world.I owe her so much,” he wrote.

The two friends remained close as he pursued a career in journalism and she began wo...