![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Facebook-Link-2025-01-30T174229.498.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley have been identified as the pilots of the American Eagle jet involved in the devastating mid-air collision over Washington, D.C.The victims of the tragic collision between an American Eagle plane and a Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, DC, on Thursday night have been identified, including two pilots and several flight attendants.<\/p>\n
Among the victims were Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28. Lilley\u2019s father, Timothy Lilley, who is also a pilot, was in New York for work when he received the devastating news that his son was in the ill-fated cockpit.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Divide-GRID-2025-01-30T172110.480-1024x819-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Speaking to FOX 5 Atlanta, he expressed the immense pain of his loss, saying, \u201cThis is undoubtedly the worst day of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newly-engaged Lilley, 29, was just months away from being promoted to captain. And he loved doing his job, his father Timothy later told the \u2018Daily Mail\u2018.<\/p>\n
Samuel Lilley was in the prime of his life, engaged to a \u201cbeautiful, wonderful girl,\u201d and his family was eagerly anticipating welcoming her, his father, Timothy Lilley, shared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the crash on the news. I didn\u2019t think there was any way it was my son,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBut then I watched long enough to figure out it was my son\u2019s airline, and then I kind of knew his schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thimoty then called his son\u2019s fiance \u201cI called his fianc\u00e9e, confirmed and then I had to tell her. It was just an ugly scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Divide-GRID-2025-01-30T173316.429-1024x819-1.jpg\")
\n\u201cYou know what, I was OK for five, maybe 10 minutes. And then I bawled for 10 minutes. It\u2019s a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.\u201d He shared with the Daily Mail<\/p>\n
Despite the immense grief, Timothy found some solace in his son\u2019s faith. \u201cBut my son knows Jesus, and that\u2019s the part that makes it a little easier,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m still left behind. We\u2019re all left behind. He was loved by so many people.\u201c<\/p>\n
Jonathan Campos<\/strong><\/p>\n Jonathan Campos, originally from New York, spent his formative years in Florida, where he nurtured a deep passion for aviation.<\/p>\n His journey in the field took off at the Epic Flight Academy, where he earned his certification as a flight instructor in 2017. Just a year later, he achieved his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot, according to academy records.<\/p>\n His uncle, Hector Campos, shared how dedicated Jonathan was to his profession, stating, \u201cHe loved it.\u201d The family is now grappling with the devastating news, with Hector expressing their collective shock, saying, \u201cWe just confirmed the news. We are in complete shock.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley have been identified as the pilots of the American Eagle jet involved in the devastating mid-air collision over… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ezzuye.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Divide-GRID-2025-01-30T154848.909-1024x819-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n