Tim Lilley, the son of American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley who was killed in the midair collision with a Black Hawk military helicopter on Wednesday night, has given a possible explanation about the cause of the horrifying tragedy.
Before 9:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, an American Airlines passenger jet (flying from Wichita, Kansas) collided midair with a Black Hawk helicopter near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and above the Potomac River.
Tragically, emergency responders haven’t located any survivors. It is feared that all 64 people who were on the passenger jet (60 passengers, four crew members) and the three military personnel on the helicopter are dead.
28-year-old Sam Lilley was the First Officer on the American Airlines jet with 34-year-old Captain Jonathan Campos. Sam’s father spoke to Fox 5 Atlanta and gave a possible explanation on what caused the crash.
Tim believes the Black Hawk helicopter made the fateful mistake of turning into the jet, possibly due to the difficulty seeing through the nighttime conditions:
“I was a helicopter pilot in the Army for 20 years. In the ’90s, I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane. If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance.
From what I can see, those guys turned right into the jet. I think the PSA jet was doing everything right. The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead.”
EXCLUSIVE: The father of the pilot onboard the American Airlines Plane identifies him as 28 Year-old- Sam Lilley. His father, who is also a pilot, says he was engaged to be married, started his training in 2019 and was the first officer on the flight Wednesday. @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/HVRwORvpRk
— Eric Perry (@Ericperrytv) January 30, 2025
Sam Lilley Was Engaged To Be Married
Lilley graduated from Georgia Southern University and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to experience his dream career. Lilley was engaged to be married, with the wedding planned for the fall.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and families of the victims.
