The father of a pilot who was killed in the mid-air collision between a commercial plane and a military Black Hawk helicopter revealed they flew the same route and described learning about the tragedy was "the worst day of my life.". Timothy Lilley, the dad of 28-year-old Sam, praised his son following the disaster that claimed all 67 lives on board the plane and helicopter on Wednesday evening (local time). The crash above the Potomac River in Washington DC is one of the worst disasters in recent American history and has sparked a widespread investigation to understand how it could have happened.
The names of many who died in the tragedy have started to be released with family members and friends sharing the pain of their loss. Timothy, himself a retired chief warrant officer in the US army, revealed the loss of his son had been devastating. To follow The Mirror's live coverage of the crash, click here. Speaking to Fox News affiliate WAGA-TV, Timothy, from Savannah, Georgia, described the disaster as being "undoubtedly the worst day of my life." In an emotional Facebook post shared on Thursday, Tim said his "heart is breaking.".
"I was so proud when Sam became a pilot," he said. "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 life. He was engaged to get married in the fall. 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.". Since being shared on the social media platform, the post has received more than 42,000 interactions including the "care emoji." Many people who commented on the public post expressed their deep sympathy.
Timothy later said he knew the area well as he would fly in and around the US capital when he was employed with the army. He told FOX5 Atlanta: "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.".
Investigators are now working to learn the circumstances leading up to the crash and uncover how the disaster could have been avoided. The black boxes - devices that contain flight and cockpit audio - have been taken away to be examined in hope a deeper insight into the cause of the crash can be learned. Republican President Donald Trump has already began to cast blame on the previous Democrat administration over diversity hires within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), although investigations have not yet determined whether this was a factor in the crash. Numerous experts have pointed to low FAA staff levels at key airports within the US since at least 2023.
