The U.S. Army helicopter involved in Wednesday’s midair collision with American Airlines flight 5342 had been conducting a training exercise for a potential attack on the capital.
Officials have confirmed that the three soldiers, who tragically lost their lives, were rehearsing a plan to evacuate the White House when their Black Hawk collided with the passenger jet just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Defense sources confirmed the details of the training exercise to CBS News after internet sleuths had speculated online that it was, in fact, focused on that very scenario.
Theorists flooded social media with claims that the helicopter was carrying out an emergency evacuation route for the president as part of a Continuity of Government (COG) contingency plan, DailyMail.com reported.
A Continuity of Government mission in the U.S. refers to a series of policies and procedures designed to ensure that essential government functions continue during and after catastrophic events, such as a nuclear attack, natural disaster, cyberattack, or terrorist incident. One key component of a COG mission is the protection of critical personnel and infrastructure.
On Friday, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, the pilot in charge, and Staff Sergeant Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief, were named as the two soldiers on board the helicopter.
