Sam Lilley: Georgia pilot killed in DC plane crash laid to rest

SAVANNAH, Ga. - A Georgia pilot who was killed when his plane collided with an Army helicopter near Washington D.C. was laid to rest over the weekend.

Sam Lilley's family and friends said their final goodbyes during a public memorial service at the Georgia Southern Savannah Campus Fine Art Center.

The backstory:

The Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and the Black Hawk Army helicopter killed everyone aboard both aircraft. 

An FAA report after the crash said that the air traffic controller received an alert that the plane and helicopter were converging when they were still more than a mile apart. The controller responded by asking the helicopter if it had the plane in sight and directed the helicopter to pass behind the plane. The helicopter responded that it did have the plane in sight.

It was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since Nov. 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a New York City neighborhood just after takeoff, killing all 260 people on board and five on the ground. There hadn’t even been a deadly crash of any kind involving a U.S. airliner since February 2009.

Sam Lilley (Courtesy of Timothy Lilley)

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Investigators are working to review the helicopter and plane's flight data recorders as they probe the devastating crash. Recovered audio recordings from Lilley's aircraft showed that the pilots tried to avoid the crash before the deadly impact.

What they're saying:

Timothy Lilley, a former military helicopter pilot, told FOX 5 on the day of the crash that he learned the tragic news that his 28-year-old son was gone a day after the crash.

"Last night when I saw on Fox News there was a crash in DC, I really didn't think there was any way that was my son," he said. 

After failing to hear from Sam, who always checked in, his worst fears were confirmed.

The father and son shared a passion for flying, with Sam having started his flight training in 2019.

Lilley was engaged and planned have his wedding this fall. He earned his certification to fly commercial airplanes just two years ago, according to FAA records, which takes 1,500 hours of logged flight time.

Friend Shane Therault had known Sam Lilley since they were boys growing up in southeast Georgia. 

"His life was just getting started really," he said. "Everything was coming together. He wanted to have a family. His path was finally set."

Last week, PSA Airlines bestowed Lilley with a posthumous promotion to honorary captain, saying that he "exemplified the highest standards of aviation excellence, demonstrating exceptional airmanship, unwavering dedication to safety, and extraordinary professionalism that inspired all who had the privilege of flying alongside him."

What's next:

Speaking to FOX News, Timothy Lilley called on lawmakers and officials in the military to create stricter regulations to ensure that crashes like the one that killed his son would never happen again.

Timothy Lilley said he wants the military to stop flight operations at civilian airports, adjust their pilot training, and require aircraft to have an operational Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) while inside certain airspaces.

"It's been said, and it is true, that most aviation regulations are written in blood," Lilley said. "That means that something terrible has to happen for us to make a change."

Lilley plans on testifying in front of Congress over his push for change and told FOX News that high-level Army officials have been receptive to his suggestions. 

"It's a tragedy, these lives ended way before any of us were ready for it," he said.