The pilot of the American Airlines plane that crashed into a U.S. Army Helicopter on Wednesday night was identified as 28-year-old Sam Lilley, according to Eric Perry, an anchor for Fox 5 of Atlanta.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Perry said Lilley's father was also a pilot. Lilley's father also told Perry that the pilot was engaged to be married and started his pilot training in 2019.
There were 60 passengers and four crew members on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, officials said. Three service members were on a training flight on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. None are believed to have survived the Wednesday night crash into the frigid Potomac River.
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, 2025More to follow.
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Gabe Whisnant AND Joshua Rhett Miller
Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed ...
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