Samuel Lilley, 28, one of the pilots of the American Airlines jet that collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter, has been confirmed as a victim, his father told CNN.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” Timothy Lilley said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “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.”
His son, who was engaged and expected to get married in the fall, was “doing great in his career and his personal life,” Lilley said in the post.
Lilley was the first officer on the deadly flight, the post said.
“It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much,” Lilley said.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” he told non-affilliate FOX 5 Atlanta.
A longtime pilot himself, Lilley told Fox 5 Atlanta he was in New York for work when he realized his son was in the cockpit at the time of the accident. He initially couldn’t believe it was his son’s flight, but when Sam failed to check in—something he always did— he said his worst fears were confirmed.
Lilley, who served 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the Army, is familiar with the complexities of such operations.
“I was a helicopter pilot in the Army for 20 years. In the…