THE men who piloted the ill-fated American Airlines plane that was struck by a US Army Black Hawk and plunged into a river have been named.
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Sam Lilley, 28, are among the 67 people who were killed in the horrifying crash outside Washington DC on Wednesday evening.
Their passenger plane erupted into flames and fell into the Potomac River in three pieces after an “elevation issue” saw the US Military helicopter directly in its path, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
The flight from Wichita, Kansas, to the nation’s capital had gone on without a hitch until the deadly moment, and officials are still investigating exactly what went wrong.
The American Airlines plane had sixty passengers and four crew members, and there were three Army soldiers on the Black Hawk.
There are no survivors, making it the deadliest US air crash since November 2001, when 260 people died after an American Airlines plane plunged into a Queens neighborhood.
It comes as…
- All 64 passengers are feared dead with at least 28 bodies pulled from river
- CCTV captures moment of the crash
- Chilling audio reveals the final moments of flight
- World champion figure skaters confirmed to be on board
- Figure skater shared final, tragic picture from inside the plane before takeoff
- Husband reveals wife’s final text from doomed jet
- Rescue efforts hindered by freezing & dark conditions with 12 hours before severe weather comes
- American Airlines CEO blames Black Hawk pilots
- Trump blames Obama and Biden’s DEI polices at FAA for crash
- American Airlines pilots and crew named
- Passenger names beginning to be released, including teens, parents, and coaches
Helping to pilot the plane was First Officer Lilley, who, at the time of his death, was just months away from being promoted to captain.
His heartbroken dad, Timothy Lilley, confirmed his son’s death and shared a devastating tribute on Facebook.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep,” Lilley wrote.
“I know I’ll see him again, but my heart is breaking. He was doing great in his career and his personal life. He was engaged to get married in the fall.
“Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night,” he continued.
“It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”
Timothy, a private plane pilot, told the Daily Mail his heart dropped when he realized that the plane crash matched his son’s schedule.
The devastated dad called his son’s fiancee to tell her the news before breaking down into heaving sobs.
“It’s a bitter, bitter pill to swallow,” he said.
“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.”
Washington DC plane crash victims
A mid-air collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter on January 29, 2025, left dozens presumed dead. The victims include:
- Captain Jonathan Campos, 34
- First Officer Samuel Lilley, 29
- Flight attendant Ian Epstein
- Flight attendant Danashia Brown Elder
- Spencer Lane, 16
- Christine Lane, 49
- Jinna Han, 13
- Jin Han
- Evgenia Shishkova, 52
- Vadim Naumov, 55
- Alexandr Kirsanov
- Angela Yang
- Sean Kay
- Peter Livingston
- Donna Smojice Livingston
- Everly Livingston, 14
- Alydia Livingston, 11
- Inna Volyanskaya
- Asra Hussain Raza, 26
- Michael Stovall, 40
- Jesse Pitcher, 30
- Elizabeth Anne Keys, 33
- Wendy Jo Shaffer
- Kiah Duggins
- Black Hawk crew chief Ryan O’Hara
Campos was certified as a flight instructor in 2017 at the Epic Flight Academy, according to the Daily Mail.
The Florida native became a commercial airline pilot one year later.
BLACK HAWK PILOT NAMED
The crew chief onboard the Black Hawk has been named as Ryan O’Hara by a Georgia JROTC.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our own,” a Facebook post from the Parkview High School Marine Corps JROTC said.
“Former cadet Ryan O’Hara was the Crew Chief on the Black Hawk involved in last night’s crash in DC.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Gary O’Hara and his entire family.”
O’Hara graduated from high school in Liliburn, located in Atlanta, in 2014.
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS NAMED
Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder were the flight attendants on the plane.
Epstein’s wife confirmed his death in a statement on Facebook.
“Please pray for Ian and our family as we travel to DC,” Debi Epstein said.
Friends of Elder have posted about her death and remembered her as a “beautiful soul.”
“This broke my heart,” wrote one mourning friend.
“I used to love watching her FB stories of all the places she would travel to.”
Teenage ice skaters, their mothers, and world champion coaches were among the first victims to be named.
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk fact file
A SIKORSKY UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines plane carrying 64 people on January 29. The collision happened as the jet was about to land at Reagan national airport.
Army personnel have used Black Hawk helicopters since the late 1970s.
Black Hawk helicopters don’t just transport troops; the flying machines are used in search and rescue missions, and deliver supplies to war-torn nations.
Here are some facts about the helicopter:
- Cost: Between $5.9 million and $10.2 million.
- Top speed: 183mph.
- Range: 1,380 miles.
- Engines: Powered by two electric engines that have 2,000 horsepower each.
- Length: 50 feet one inch.
- Height: 16 feet 10 inches.
- Troop capacity: Up to 11 fully equipped soldiers.
