The father of a family with ties to Georgia said Thursday his son was one of two pilots on the American Airlines flight that collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Officials believe all 64 people on board the American Eagle passenger jet and three people on board the Army helicopter died, though identities have not been confirmed publicly. It was the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years.
Sam Lilley, a Georgia native who graduated from Georgia Southern University, was one of the pilots on the American Airlines flight, his father, Timothy Lilley, told WAGA-TV in Atlanta.
"This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life," said Timothy Lilley, who added he was a U.S. Army helicopter pilot.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both aircraft had been flying standard flight patterns and there had been no breakdown in communication. Radio communications showed that air traffic controllers alerted the helicopter about the approach jet and ordered it to change course.
Timothy Lilley told WAGA-TV he believes the helicopter pilot made an error.
"From what I can see, those guys turned right into the jet," he said. "I think the [passenger] jet was doing everything right. The Army pilot made a grave error. It hurts me because those are my brothers, and now my son is dead."
Passengers on the American Eagle jet were believed to include figure skaters, families, and coaches returning from a training camp in Wichita, Kansas, following the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, including Russian-born coaches and former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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