Dad of pilot who flew American Airlines plane that crashed has demanded an answer after ‘worst day of his life’

The dad of the man who piloted the American Airlines plane that crashed has spoken out.

Sam Lilley was one of the two pilots on the flight which collided with an army helicopter on Wednesday (29 January) over Washington D.C. Both aircrafts were sent crashing into the Potomac River with all 67 people on board them dead.

Officials are currently investigating the crash with the black boxes recovered from the American Airlines plane.

Timothy Lilley, the father of American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley, told Fox 5 following the devastating incident: “This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life.”

Both aircrafts plunged into the river. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He explained he was in New York when he saw there had been a crash, adding: “I really didn’t think there was any way that was my son.”

But the father’s worst fears were confirmed when his son didn’t check in after the flight as he normally would do.

The pair shared a passion for flying, with Sam starting his flight training in 2019 and having worked with PSA Airlines (part of the American Airlines group) for two years while Timothy served 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the army.

“In the ’90s, I used to fly in and out of the Pentagon regularly, and I can tell you if you are flying on the route over the Potomac and wearing night vision goggles, it’s going to be very hard to see that plane. If you’re not wearing the goggles, then you might have a chance,” he said.

The dad went on to claim it was the military chopper at fault: “From what I can see, those guys turned right into the jet. I think the PSA 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.”

Investigators are yet to name a cause for the incident.

Sam was one of the pilots on board. (Fox5)

Timothy is now waiting for answers, having travelled to the crash site, filled out forms at the airport and been told to wait for further information.

As officials continue the investigation, with black boxes recovered from the plane, the pilot’s father is remaining focused on seeking clarity on the events that led to his son’s death.

DC Fire has now completed the search of all accessible areas of the crash site, with additional searches to ‘locate aircraft components’ in order to support the investigation and ‘begin operations to salvage the aircraft’ will commence today.

Featured Image Credit: Fox 26