The father of one of the pilots killed when an American Airlines passenger jet crashed after a mid-air collision with a U.S. military helicopter said the death of his son “hurts so bad.”
Tim Lilley posted a photo of his 28-year-old son, Sam, on his Facebook account Thursday, remarking how proud he was when his son became a pilot.
“Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. ” the grieving father said on the social media site.
“He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall. Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night,” Lilly said. “It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”
American Airlines Flight 5342, carrying 60 passengers and four crew, was on its way to Washington, D.C., from Kansas when it went down Thursday night in the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport after the collision.
The three soldiers in the Black Hawk and all 64 people aboard the flight were killed.
I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking. He was doing great in his career and his personal…
Tim Lilley told WAGA-TV, “This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life.”
Lilley, who spent 20 years in the Army as a helicopter pilot, said he made many trips to the Pentagon during his time in the service.
“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,” he told the station.
He said he believes the American Airlines pilots were following procedure, but that the helicopter made a tragic mistake.
“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,” he said.
PSA is the company that was operating the American Eagle flight.
