Tim Lilley: Fixing What Caused Midair Collision at Washington D.C. Airport | Aviation International News

Tim Lilley: Fixing What Caused the DCA Midair Collision

The father of one of the pilots who died in the crash wants something positive to come from the tragedy

Sheri and Tim Lilley at the ACSF Safety Symposium — Sheri and Tim Lilley shared the perspective of the parents of accident victim and PSA Airlines first officer Sam Lilley at the ACSF Safety Symposium.

By Matt Thurber • Editor-in-Chief

July 1, 2025

In a candid and heartfelt session at the Air Charter Safety Foundation Summit on March 9, Flexjet captain Tim Lilley and his wife Sheri introduced the audience to their son Sam, one of the pilots at the controls of the PSA Airlines (American Airlines Flight 5342) Bombardier CRJ that crashed after colliding with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while on final approach to Runway 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29.

During the session, “Learning from Tragedy—Enhancing Safety through Accountability and Modernization,” Tim shared how he and Sheri learned that Sam was flying as first officer on the CRJ and perished along with the 64 passengers, the captain, and the flight attendant. The three crew members on the helicopter were also killed.

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