By Andrea Gutierrez, special to the Herald
A Richmond Hill High School graduate was among two pilots killed in Wednesday night’s collision between a U.S. military helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Sam Lilley, 28, was a First Officer on the American Airlines flight, according to his father Tim, who expressed his sorrow and condolences in a post on Facebook:
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” Tim Lilley wrote. “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.”
Lilley graduated from Richmond Hill High School and Georgia Southern University.
Richmond Hill Mayor Russ Carpenter, who also teaches U.S. Government classes at Richmond Hill High School, expressed his condolences in a statement:
“We are saddened by the news of Richmond Hill native Sam Lilley,” Carpenter wrote. “Many people at RHHS have fond memories of him. We are praying for his family and fiancé.”
The midair collision killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press, and marks the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.
The crash is still under investigation.
[Andrea Gutierrez is the editor of Bryan County News.]