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It's been days since a military helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport ... and the Army still refuses to ID the female Black Hawk pilot.

In a Friday update ... the Army said her name is not being disclosed at the behest of her family -- even though the names of the two other soldiers in the chopper who died were officially identified as Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves.

No additional explanation was offered as to why the family made the request ... but there is speculation it has to do with President Trump casting blame for the deadly accident on the chopper pilot ... which he did immediately after the catastrophe that killed a total of 67.

Don Lemon has a strong take on Wendy Williams' guardianship -- based on his recent convo with her -- and it's totally in line with a judge's latest decision regarding her immediate future.

We spoke to Don Friday at LAX, where he told us he believes the guardianship is "too strict," and "she should be able to see her family."

Just a few hours after we spoke to him, TMZ broke the story -- the judge in the guardianship gave Wendy permission to go visit her father in South Florida to celebrate his 94th birthday.

Shocking new video has emerged showing the moment a medivac plane nosedived and exploded in a ball of flames in Pennsylvania, killing all 6 people on board.

The dramatic footage was shot on a dashcam affixed to a car stopped at a red light in Philadelphia Friday night.

Check it out ... the medivac jet transporting a young patient and her mother with 4 crew members aboard plummets from the night sky and hits the ground, turning into a fireball before everyone's eyes in the near distance. One stunned motorist jumps out of their car to get a better look at all the destruction.

5:30 PM PT -- New reports claim 6 people were aboard the small plane before its crash in Philadelphia ... including 2 pilots, 2 doctors, a patient and a family member.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy confirmed the number to 6ABC.

Emergency responders are working to put out flames in northeast Philadelphia after a small plane crashed down on Friday evening ... leaving a chaotic aftermath and a number of suspected casualties.

It's currently unclear what caused the crash, which took place after 6 PM near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard in the region ... but police have shared that 2 people were onboard the aircraft when it plummeted down.

The status of the passengers is unknown at this time.

Heart-wrenching videos of Ian Epstein, one of the American Airlines flight attendants who tragically died in the Washington, D.C. plane crash, are going viral – and the devastating impact of his loss is really hitting home.

The clip shows Ian entertaining passengers on past flights, cracking jokes, making witty remarks, and even singing and dancing down the aisle -- his family tells TMZ he died doing what he loved.

His family said he loved his career because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people -- something that's clearly evident in the clips flooding online ... featuring him brightening the cabin with his humor and personality.

Darrell Feller, a retired U.S. Army National Guard pilot, is weighing in on the possible causes behind the tragic D.C. aircraft collision ... sharing how a number of factors could've been at play.

We caught up with Darrell on "TMZ Live" in the aftermath of Wednesday night's tragedy, and he explained how it was entirely possible the Army Black Hawk helicopter, which crashed into a regional jet carrying 64 people, didn't even see the aircraft coming.

Darrell says the particular route the chopper took is known for causing "confusion with ground light," due to the light from surrounding structures, buildings and other aircraft.

A man in Brazil must have had God watching over him ... because he miraculously survived a fast-moving car barreling into him and sending him flying into a building.

Check out video obtained by TMZ ... which captured the January 23 incident in which the pedestrian was seen strolling down a sidewalk in Pernambuco, a state in northeast Brazil, seemingly without a care in the world.

That all changed moments later when, as you can see, the vehicle speeds toward him and mounts the sidewalk before slamming into him and plowing through a gate and into a wall.

An American Airlines pilot is going viral after he confidently assured nervous passengers in a professional tone they were in good hands following the tragic D.C. plane collision ... which killed more than 60 people.

In a video making the rounds online ... a passenger on Flight AA 1044 heading to Miami captured the moment the pilot addressed those onboard over the loudspeaker, when he acknowledged Wednesday's tragedy -- but also vowed to keep everyone safe.

Check it out ... the pilot says he understands many on his flight may be "fearful" to fly right now, given the recent crash, but promises the passengers they're in good hands -- highlighting the skills of his first officer, the flight attendants, and his own.

We've only scratched the surface of the impact the Washington, D.C. plane crash has had on the figure skating community ... especially as new victims are identified in the wake of the catastrophe.

Jinna Han, a 13-year-old figure skater from Mansfield, Mass., has been identified among the 67 people tragically killed in Wednesday night's midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter.

Jinna had been traveling with 16-year-old Spencer Lane, a fellow skater from the prominent Skating Club of Boston, as well as their respective mothers, Jin Han and Christine Lane.

The Federal Aviation Administration says staffing levels were below the "normal" amount when the deadly plane crash occurred over Washington, D.C. ... and, it looks like it was a decision made by a supervisor.

The New York Times -- citing an anonymous source -- says an air traffic control supervisor combined the responsibilities of handling both helicopters and plane flight paths before the usual time ... though it's currently not clear why.

Basically, before 9:30 PM, Reagan Washington National Airport has two controllers -- one to handle the choppers and the other to handle the airplanes -- and, after 9:30 they transition to only one person because traffic lessens significantly.

New video of the Washington, D.C. plane catastrophe shows a crystal clear, up-close view of the moment of impact between the commercial jet and the Army helicopter -- and the images are downright shocking.

CNN obtained 2 clips of the Black Hawk colliding with the American Airlines plane over the Potomac River Wednesday night, killing 67 people in total. The outlet reports cell phones recorded the footage from surveillance cameras that captured the tragic incident.

In the first video, the helicopter is moving rapidly toward the plane before they collide in midair, triggering a massive fireball. You then see the wreckage rain down into the river below.

A flight to Reagan National Airport was forced to abort its initial landing due to helicopter activity in the D.C. area ... one day before the catastrophic crash that left dozens dead.

Check out the video ... Republic Airways Flight 4514 is clearly on a smooth track from Connecticut and begins its descent ... and then abruptly circles around before touching down.

In an audio recording published by LiveATC.net, air traffic control is heard warning the pilot ... "There’s a helicopter over Georgetown northbound 300 feet."

Don't come for this Altadena bear's picnic basket -- 'cause he's so jacked, Animal Control couldn't even tranquilize him to remove him from underneath a suburban home.

Here's the deal ... when a homeowner in the area returned to their home after the evacuation order related to the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was lifted, he called the utility company to get his service turned back on.

But, they said they couldn't do it -- 'cause the guy had a 525-pound bear living underneath his home!

Youth ice dance partners Angela Yang and Sean Kay had careers on the rise before they perished in the Washington, D.C. plane crash last night ... video footage of their breathtaking, last routine shows.

Check it out ... Angela and Sean hit the ice for the 2025 Midwestern Sectional U.S. Ice Dance Final 2 months before Wednesday's tragedy, where the youth skaters performed an up-tempo routine featuring a number of impressive spins, jumps, steps, and turns.

Judges were mesmerized by the young talent, as Angela and Sean walked away with first-place medals in the competition.

A former Black Hawk pilot is dropping a bombshell hypothesis about the Washington, D.C. crash, telling TMZ she believes neither the American Airlines jet nor the chopper would have seen the deadly collision coming.

Elizabeth McCormick, who flew Black Hawks for 8 years in her military career, tells TMZ a mid-air collision is the "least survivable" type of accidents an aircraft can face -- adding she is of the opinion neither pilot would’ve had a clue what was coming until impact -- based on what she has seen in news reports.

Catch the video, 'cause McCormick breaks it down even more. She says it was the chopper's job to move out of the plane's way, but with only 3 military crew members on board to keep lookout and air traffic control not picking up on the warning signs, there was no way they could’ve known what was about to happen.

The American Airlines pilots killed in the tragic Washington, D.C. crash have been identified.

First Officer Sam Lilley, 28, died alongside 34-year-old Captain Jonathan Campos in the mid-air collision with a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.

Lilley’s dad, Timothy, confirmed his son's death to FOX 5 Atlanta. Sam, who was recently engaged, was following in his dad's pilot footsteps, and was months away from being promoted to captain.