Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Saturday released the

name of the third soldier who died on a Black Hawk helicopter

that collided with an American Airlines ( AAL ) passenger jet near

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport this week, killing 67

people in all.

The soldier was identified as Captain Rebecca Lobach, of

Durham, North Carolina. She was an aviation officer in the

regular Army since 2019 and assigned to the 12th Aviation

Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

The Army had initially declined to identify Lobach, an

unusual decision that the agency said was made at the request of

the family.

But on Saturday the Army said in a statement that Lobach's

family had agreed to release her name to the public.

"She was a bright star in all our lives," her family said in

a statement, noting that she worked as an advocate for victims

of sexual assault and planned to become a doctor after her

military service. "No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to

achieve her goals."

Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation

Safety Board have determined the CRJ700 airplane was at 325 feet

(91 meters), plus or minus 25 feet, at the time of impact,

officials said at a Saturday evening news briefing.

The information was based on data recovered from the jet's

flight data recorder - the "black box" that tracks the

aircraft's movements, speed and other parameters.

The new detail suggests the Army helicopter was flying above

200 feet (61 meters), the maximum altitude for the route it was

using.

Preliminary data indicates the control tower's radar showed

the helicopter at 200 feet at the time of the accident, though

officials said the information has not been confirmed.

"That's what our job is, to figure that out," NTSB board

member Todd Inman told reporters when asked what could explain

the discrepancy.

Inman also said at Saturday's briefing that the helicopter's

training flight would typically include the use of night-vision

goggles.

"We do not know at this time if the night-vision goggles

were actually being worn, nor what the setting may be," he said.

"Further investigation should be able to let us know if that

occurred and what factor it may play in the overall accident."

Data confirms that the air traffic controller alerted the

helicopter to the presence of the CRJ700 about two minutes

before the crash.

One second before impact, the crew aboard the American

flight had a "verbal reaction," according to the plane's cockpit

voice recorder, and flight data shows the plane's nose began to

rise, officials said.

The official said an automated radio transmission alerted

"traffic, traffic, traffic," was heard on the voice recorder and

then sounds of the collision were heard before the recording

ends.

The Army previously identified the other two soldiers killed

in Wednesday's crash as Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28,

and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39. The names of

the 60 passengers and four crew members who died on the jet have

not been officially released, although many have been identified

through family and social media.

Crews are preparing to remove the wreckage of the aircraft

from the Potomac River starting on Sunday. Forty-two bodies have

been recovered thus far, the Washington, D.C., fire department

said on Saturday.