Georgia Southern to host memorial for Sam Lilley. What to know about the Savannah native
The Savannah community mourns the loss of Sam Lilley, a 28-year-old pilot who tragically died in a mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and a Black Hawk helicopter near in Washington D.C. on Jan. 29.
Lilley left behind a family and fiance and there will be a memorial service on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. at the Fine Arts Hall of the Georgia Southern Armstrong campus in Savannah.
The memorial is open to the public.
Lilley, a First Officer on the American Airlines flight, was a native of Georgia, and his passion for flying was evident from a young age.
He was raised in Savannah and was a Richmond Hill High School graduate and a Georgia Southern University alumni.
He began flight training in 2019, following in the footsteps of his father, Timothy, a 20-year veteran helicopter pilot. According to The Daily Mail, he was just months away from being promoted to Captain.
There were no survivors of the collision, where more than 6 7people perished.
Here were the community's comments about Sam Lilley:
Sam's father (Tim Lilley):
"I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. 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. 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. It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much."
I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can't even cry myself to sleep. I know I'll see him...
Posted by Tim Lilley on Thursday, January 30, 2025
Bryan County Schools:
"On behalf of Bryan County Schools and the Board of Education, we extend our deepest condolences to Samuel Lilley's family, along with all the families impacted by last night's tragic plane collision in Arlington, VA. Samuel was a beloved student of Richmond Hill High School class of 2015," wrote in an email from Dr. Paul T. Brooksher, Bryan County Schools Superintendent.
Georgia Southern University:
"The Georgia Southern community is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our outstanding alumni, Sam Lilley ('18), who embodied the Eagle spirit and soared beyond in his career," wrote GSU President Kyle Marrero in an email. "We will continue to keep Sam's family and friends in our thoughts as they grieve this tragedy."
SkyLens LLC:
"As many professional pilots begin their careers in aerial survey, we were fortunate to have Sam Lilley begin his career at SkyLens during our 2021-2022 season," wrote in an email by Bryan C. Porter, CEO of SkyLens LLC. "Sam was not only a skilled pilot and fantastic employee but maybe the most likeable person we know."
"He was always wearing a smile and loved flying. I was proud to see his career progress as he moved on to the airline industry. Sam remained close with many of our former pilots including our former and current Chief Pilots. Any aviation tragedy is painful to those of us in the industry but when it hits this close to home, it is crushing. Our thoughts are with Sam's family and fiancé."
A water cannon salute greeted Lilley when his body flew into Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on Feb. 8.
Drew Favakeh, Savannah Morning News reporter, contributed to this article.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Who was Sam Lilley? Georgia Southern to honor Savannah-area pilot
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