WTOC EXCLUSIVE: Family of local pilot continues to push for federal legislation nearly one year after D.C. mid‑air collision

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - On Jan. 29, 2025, a mid‑air collision over Washington, D.C., killed 67 people, including 28‑year‑old American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley of Richmond Hill.

Nearly one year later, Sam’s parents, Tim and Sheri Lilley, spoke with WTOC about their grief, questions about the response to the crash and their push to get new federal legislation (the ROTOR Act) passed so other families won’t suffer the same loss.

Tim and Sheri described the toll the crash has taken on their family and on the broader community that knew and loved Sam.

“Right — it was like my family killed my family, you know,” Sheri Lilley said during the interview.

Sam, who was flying as a pilot on an American Airlines flight that collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter, was known by friends and family for his generosity and service.

“The way he would make people’s lives better — he raised $5,000 for water for a well in Africa when he was a teenager,” Sheri said.

Tim Lilley, a former military pilot who says he flew the same routes hundreds of times, told WTOC he reviewed reports and testimony about the collision and was alarmed by what he saw.

“One of the distressing things is that the Blackhawk crew made absolutely no attempt to evade the accident,” Tim said.

He also criticized what he described as risky practices and growing complacency among those responsible for operations in the airspace.

“Both the air traffic controller and the military were doing some very risky things and greatly understating the amount of risk,” said Tim.

Tim also recalled the first briefing he attended after the crash.

“The first person who gets up to brief is the fire chief and he says it’s a horrific scene,” said Tim. “There were body parts spread all over the ice — nobody can prepare you for that moment.”

The Lilleys said their response to the tragedy has been to push for federal legislation they believe would reduce the chance of similar collisions.

The bill widely referred to by the family as the ROTOR Act would, they say, require aircraft to carry technology tracked by investigators that shows all aircraft operating in the same airspace — a measure supporters argue would greatly improve situational awareness and safety.

“This accident would not have happened if the ROTOR Act had been enacted at the time,” Sheri said.

The family noted the bill passed unanimously in the Senate but has met opposition in the House, where cost concerns have been raised.

“There is some opposition on the House side and what we keep hearing is that it’s driven by cost,” Tim said.

“The cost is really negligible when we look at the cost of one human life. It’s a ridiculous equation that we even have to do a cost‑benefit analysis around that,” Sheri added.

Records and reports cited by investigators and the family show near misses in the D.C. airspace are not uncommon.

The Lilleys referenced roughly 85 near misses over the previous three years and thousands of close encounters between commercial aircraft and helicopters — a statistic that family members say underscores the need for action.

Looking ahead, the Lilleys say they will continue to push lawmakers and follow the official investigation until the reforms they want become law.

“When the final report comes out we’re going to follow through and we’re going to keep working until we get the ROTOR Act through the House,” Tim said.

Tim and Sheri said they will always remember Sam for his generosity and the ways he tried to make other people’s lives better.

“We want to make his death matter,” Tim said. “This is not a sacrifice just for our family — it’s for a whole community that knew and loved him, multiplied by the 67 people that were lost that night.”