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A grieving father mourns the loss of his 28-year-old son, Sam Lilley, a young pilot who tragically died in a plane crash. Sam, engaged to be married, shared his father Timothy Lilley\u2019s deep passion for aviation.\n Sam was one of two pilots aboard an American Airlines flight that collided with a military helicopter near Reagan National Airport on January 29. Timothy, a former military helicopter pilot, initially dismissed the idea that his son was involved but grew increasingly anxious when Sam failed to check in. His worst fears were confirmed.\n “This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Timothy expressed, later writing, “Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night. It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.”\n An American Airlines regional passenger jet has crashed into a military helicopter while attempting to land at Reagan National Airport in Washington. Emergency services in the city are searching the Potomac River near the airport following the incident just before 9pm on Wednesday night. The airline has confirmed that there was 60 passengers and four crews members onboard Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to the Capital when the collision happened. NBC Washington are reporting that at least four people have been pulled from the water by rescue crews as dive teams survey the crash site. This is a developing story. Follow DailyMail for live updates. #washingtondc #plane #planecrash #americanairlines #helicopter #news #breakingnews \n\n