Sam Lilley. Courtesy of Tim Lilley/Instagram
Sam Lilley, the pilot on the American Airlines flight that tragically crashed in Washington D.C., was going to achieve a major life milestone later this year.
Sam’s dad, Tim Lilley, took to social media on Thursday, January 30, to share a heartbreaking update about his son after news broke of the fatal incident. In the post, Tim revealed that Sam was engaged and gearing up to walk down the aisle in several months.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep,” Tim wrote via Facebook. “I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking. He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall.”
The message continued: “Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night. It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”
News broke on Wednesday, January 29, that an airplane crashed into a Black Hawk military helicopter near the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The plane fell into the Potomac River while attempting to land. According to local CBS outlet WUSA9, more than “300 emergency crews” arrived to conduct a search and rescue operation. More than a dozen bodies were recovered from the water by divers.
It was later confirmed that American Airlines Flight 5342 was the affected aircraft. The flight was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, and held 64 passengers in addition to the crew. There were no survivors in the crash, officials said Thursday, per ABC News.
Sam’s sister, Tiffany Gibson, told the outlet that the pilot flew the same path as their father, who had previously flown Black Hawk helicopters for the Army.
Several figure skaters have spoken out after American Airlines Flight 5342 crashed into the Potomac River. News broke on Wednesday, January 29, that the airplane, which departed from Kansas, crashed into an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The plane fell into the Potomac River, with emergency crews responding to the […]
“We were stationed in Virginia, and [Timothy Lilley] flew that same route back and forth to the Pentagon, over and over and over again until he retired,” Gibson said.
She also paid tribute to her late brother.
“He was an amazing person. He loved people. He loved adventure. He loved traveling. He was excited. He was young,” she said. “He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids. And it’s just, this is just tragic.
Amongst the 64 late passengers, some of the travelers on the flight were members of the United States Figure Skating Team.
U.S. Figure Skating announced that American Airlines Flight 5342 was carrying several of its athletes when it crashed into the Potomac River. The organization provided a statement to news outlet WUSA9 on Thursday, January 30. “U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which […]
“U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C.” a statement from the organization read. “These athletes, coaches and family members were returning home from National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
Figure skater Spencer Lane shared a photo from the plane prior to takeoff.
“ICT -> DCA,” read the post — which are the codes for Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C. — via Lane’s Instagram Story on Wednesday.
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