Sam Tilley was the first officer on the aircraft involved in the air collision, his father confirmed.
WASHINGTON — A pilot who was among 64 people killed when an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., has strong ties to Georgia, according to his family.
Sam Lilley was the first officer, or co-pilot, on the aircraft, his father, Tim Lilley, confirmed to NBC affiliate WSAV.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot," Lilley wrote in an emotional Facebook post. "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 father said Sam was also engaged and had plans to get married in the fall.
"It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much," he wrote.
First officer pilot with Georgia ties among those killed in tragic DC plane crash | Photos
Lilley attended high school in Richmond Hill, a suburb 20 miles south of Savannah, and graduated from Georgia Southern University, according to WSAV.
Gov. Brian Kemp expressed his condolences for both Lilley and Ryan O'Hara, the crew chief on the Black Hawk involved in the crash.
Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter, as well as 60 passengers and four crew on the American Airlines jet involved in the crash.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the collision, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas. President Donald Trump called the crash "preventable" and suggested air traffic controllers were at fault in afternoon remarks on the air tragedy.
Officials said Thursday morning they have shifted to recovery operations and do not expect to find any survivors from the crash. At least 28 bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport.
The 67 dead would make Wednesday's crash the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
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