After learning his son was killed in the deadly midair crash, the father of 28-year-old Sam Lilley – one of two pilots on the American Airlines flight – shared an emotional post on Facebook, saying “it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
Tragedy struck the skies over Washington, D.C., on the evening of January 29, when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The devastating incident, which occurred around 9 p.m. local time, claimed the lives of all 60 passengers and four crew members on board the commercial flight. Three soldiers on the helicopter are also feared dead.
Timothy Lilley, a former military helicopter pilot, confirmed that his 28-year-old son, Sam Lilley, was one of two pilots on the American Airlines flight who died in the fatal midair collision.
