The two pilots of the American Eagle jet involved in the mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., have been identified as Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29. The two flight attendants on the ill-fated flight have also been identified as Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder.
Lilley, 29, who was recently engaged, was just months away from being promoted to captain—a role he was deeply passionate about, his father, Timothy Lilley, shared in an interview. American Eagle Flight 5342, which had left from Wichita, Kansas, with 60 passengers on board, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter midair in a deadly crash before 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Unfortunate Deaths
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In a heartbreaking twist, Lilley Sr., a former Army Black Hawk pilot, revealed in an interview to the Daily Mail that he had once flown in the very same airspace where the tragedy occurred.
“Samuel was in the prime of his life. He was engaged to a beautiful, wonderful girl and we were all excited about her joining the family,” he told the outlet.
Timothy, a former Army warrant officer and now a private jet pilot, was at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey when the crash took place. He has since traveled to Washington.
At first, he had no knowledge that his beloved son was among the pilots who lost their lives in the tragic accident. “I saw the crash on the news. I didn’t think there was any way it was my son,” he told the outlet.
“But then I watched long enough to figure out it was my son’s airline and then I kind of know his schedule.
“And so I called his fiancee, confirmed, like, hey was Sam in Wichita? Yes, he was, was he going to to DCA? Yes, he was. So then I had to tell her. It was just an ugly scene.”
He added: “You know what, I was OK for five, maybe 10 minutes. And then I bawled for 10 minutes. It’s a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.
“But my son knows Jesus and that’s the part that makes it a little easier. But I’m still left behind. We’re all left behind. He was loved by so many people.”
Bright Future Ends in Tragedy
Timothy and his former wife, Sheri, raised their son in Savannah, Georgia, where he proudly graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2018. After that, he went on to earn his instructor certification at Epic Flight Academy.
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“At first he went into marketing and he called me after two months and said, dad, I hate my job,” said Lilley Sr. “And so I helped him find his new career path – and he was really good at it. His career was really blossoming. Things were very good for him.
“The irony is that I was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot for 20 years and I used to fly that exact same route that the helicopter that crashed was flying.”
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Campos earned his pilot certificates from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2011. He later obtained his instructor certification at Epic Flight Academy.
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“He was a skilled and dedicated pilot with an undeniable passion for flying,” the Florida-based company said in a Facebook post.
His aunt shared with The New York Times that her nephew, who worked for PSA Airlines for eight years, had dreamed of flying since he was 3 years old. The 34-year-old was raised in Brooklyn and later lived in Florida.
“I think he wanted to be free, and be able to fly and soar like a bird,” relative Beverly Lane said.
