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Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Tim Lilley spent his life flying. Then his son died in a plane crash.
While other kids had posters of movie stars or rock bands on their walls, Tim Lilley covered his with pictures of aircraft. He took his first flying lesson at age 13, got a private piloting license at 17, joined Army flight training at 19. He started out flying Black Hawks, then made a career in the cockpit of choppers and planes. So on the evening of Jan. 29, as he saw news that an Army helicopter had collided with a passenger plane over D.C., he was struck by the enormity of the disaster. Tim reached out to someone else who would understand: his son Sam, who followed in his footsteps and became a pilot for PSA Airlines. Sam didn't respond. Tim realized the plane that had plunged into the Potomac was a PSA jet. After a series of frantic calls to family he learned that he had just watched on television the death of his youngest son, the first officer on the flight. In those first moments of raw grief, and every day since, Tim has found himself in two roles. He's a dad in mourning. He's also an aviation expert — one who has flown both types of aircraft in the Jan. 29 collision at Reagan National Airport, and both routes — focused on finding answers and accountability for the families of all 67 people killed in what was the deadliest domestic plane crash in over two decades. 'I started — even though I let my emotions get in — I started trying to think critically about it right from the get-go and try to, you know, be a problem solver,' Tim said. 'I still miss Sam terribly, and that will never be solved. But … most aviation regulation is written in blood. That means somebody had to die in order for us to figure out a better way to do things. And that's probably going to be part of Sam's legacy.' Less than 24 hours after the crash, Tim was talking not just about how Sam raised money for charity and was about to get married but about how night-vision goggles, combined with the light from the city, might have blinded the helicopter crew to the passenger jet. He hasn't stopped talking, digging, pushing for answers that he thinks could help prevent another tragedy — including stricter protocols for Army maneuvers around passenger flights and an updated and fully staffed air traffic control system. The former service member is particularly upset with what he sees as a lack of responsibility from the Army. From the beginning, he said it was clear the helicopter crew made 'a grave error,' probably mistaking a farther-away plane for the jet they were told to avoid. But he wanted to know why Army leadership and the Federal Aviation Administration allowed them to be so close to another aircraft and rely only on their eyes to navigate around it. Initial reporting from the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the helicopter crew were probably wearing night-vision goggles, were flying too high and may have had a faulty height reading. The report also found that they were not broadcasting their location with a satellite system and may have lost crucial messages from air-traffic control. Tim hopes a three-day NTSB hearing this week will answer more of those questions. In the meantime Tim has analyzed the air traffic, listened to podcasts from veterans of the Black Hawk's battalion, made charts of the air traffic at National. At an air safety conference, he rolled out a tape measure to illustrate how close Army helicopters and commercial planes were supposed to fly in the airspace at National — a mere 58 feet apart, which he called 'unacceptable' and 'insane.' He also privately contacted military leaders, including a veteran who served with him in Panama, where he witnessed a crash between two Black Hawk helicopters that led his unit to require four-person crews rather than the three that were flying at DCA. 'I knew my dad was smart, I knew my dad had a lot of knowledge, but I'm just amazed at how much, in the middle of grief, and in the most horrific time that any of us have ever experienced, I'm amazed at his wherewithal to be able to think about, okay, this should have happened, this should have happened, this is not what should have went on,' Tiffany Gibson, Sam's older sister, said. 'I'm just very, very proud of him.' 'Gary, my name is Tim Lilley, my son Sam Lilley was the first officer on flight 5342. I want you to know that we grieve with you. At some point when you are ready, maybe we can get together for a good cry.' Gary O'Hara received that message in March. It took him until May to reply. O'Hara's son was the crew chief on the helicopter that crashed into Sam's plane. While Staff Sgt. Ryan O'Hara was not piloting the craft, his father felt the entire crew had been pitted against the PSA victims in the public eye. But by the time he and his wife met Tim and his wife, Sheri, at a restaurant in Richmond Hill, Georgia, it was clear there would be no such division. 'There's really nobody else that can relate to what we're going through other than another parent dealing with this,' he said. They realized that their children, both 28 and living less than 20 miles apart, in another reality might have been friends. Tim reached out because he wanted the families of the three service members who died to know that he does not blame them for Sam's death. He blames Army leadership for allowing them to train in such a crowded airspace without making sure they did everything possible to mitigate the risk of a collision. He told O'Hara that when he flew those routes in the 1990s they would never rely on visual separation — pilots using their own vision and discretion to avoid other aircraft. 'We knew better,' he said. 'But when all that experience left after the wars ended, you know, nobody passes on the notion that asking for visual separation is a dangerous thing to do.' At first, Tim and Sheri were encouraged by the response from the Army, from everyone. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy immediately restricted helicopter traffic around the airport and vowed to address the lapses that occurred in the tower at National through better equipment and staffing. The Lilleys met with members of Congress and watched as their representative described Sam on the House floor as 'a charismatic and intelligent young man who loved his fiancée, Lydia Coles, flying, his family and the Lord.' But as Tim's questions got more pointed, and his emails to military personnel started featuring phrases like 'ineffective leadership,' the Army stopped engaging and 'started to ghost me,' he said. Only after 168 family members and loved ones, the Lilleys among them, wrote a letter saying the Army is 'persistently refusing to accept responsibility or even acknowledge the families throughout these ordeals' did Army Secretary Dan Driscoll agree to meet them. The Army declined to comment on the letter. Driscoll said at a hearing in June that the Army is 'doing everything we can to learn from the incident to ensure that it never occurs again' but needs to let the legal and investigatory process 'play out.' Sam and his father always shared a love of adventure, but as Sam approached his 30s, the resemblance between them grew. Most obviously, Sam decided to become a pilot. But he also started wearing Hawaiian shirts and making the same corny jokes. He had gone from saying he might never get married to preparing to start a family. Now Tim is following in his son's footsteps. He was the only member of the family to view the autopsy. He would like to know Sam's last words, not sanitized in an NTSB readout as some kind of expletive. Last month he and his wife went to the rocky cliff in Dublin where Sam proposed to his girlfriend a few months before the crash. He has thought about something his pastor once wrote: that we are not humans with spirits but spirits having only a brief human experience on Earth. He likes the idea that when he dies, Sam will be the one to show him around. Sam had six tattoos, none of which his father was crazy about. But about a week after the crash, while he was still waiting to bring Sam's body home, Tim woke up from a dream he can't remember convinced that he should get a tattoo in Sam's honor. On his bicep he now has a black ribbon bisected by a plane, next to the name of the flight — a symbol shared by the families of the victims. A month after the crash, Tim went back to work flying private planes. Sometimes his passengers recognize him or ask a question that leads back to the crash. Any time he flies American Airlines, which owns PSA, it happens. He doesn't mind. 'I talk about it every day. That's my therapy,' he said. 'All my co-pilots get to hear about Sam.' This summer he has been all over Europe — Milan, Paris, Majorca, Sicily, Nice, Innsbruck. He thinks about texting Sam to tell him how beautiful it is and how different the flying rules are, to tease him about being stuck on a layover in Kansas while his dad was on the Cote d'Azur. Sam would have countered that he flew the bigger plane. Sometimes Tim would forget and send the message anyway until one day he pocket-dialed Sam's number and was startled to receive a text in reply. The number had been reassigned. The new owner said they had been getting messages from Sam's friends and knew the pain of losing a son. Tim could message the number any time, they said. 'And also thank you for your service.' Ian Duncan contributed to this report.
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Triple killer's alarm went off at 1:10am as he had grim job to do
Christian "Kit" Martin was a decorated military veteran and commercial pilot who murdered three of his neighbours - his sickening early morning plans shocked loved ones Wearing his PSA Airlines uniform, pilot Christian "Kit" Martin certainly made an impression as he marched towards the departure gate at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on 11 May 2019. The ex- army major, boasting a distinguished 30-year military career, was all set to captain a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, for PSA, an affiliate of American Airlines. However, upon reaching the security checkpoint to board the early morning service, Martin's day took a dramatic turn – he was halted by police officers. Onlookers were shocked as Martin was handcuffed, arrested, and escorted away in full view of the public. His days in the cockpit were abruptly over. READ MORE: Disturbing text sent by former Olympic athlete before he strangled wife and hid body underwater He was accused of a horrific crime: the triple homicide of three neighbours. This marked a staggering descent from honour to infamy, and for Martin, things were about to get even grimmer as his history loomed large. Rewind four years, and Martin found himself in Pembroke, Kentucky, amidst personal chaos. Despite a celebrated career piloting helicopters for the army, his life was unravelling. His marriage to wife Joan had crumbled, leading to a venomous split. To add insult to injury, Martin uncovered that Joan had been legally tied to another man when they exchanged vows in 2004. Joan would later face charges of bigamy, resulting in a five-year "pretrial diversion" sentence, essentially a probationary period. In retaliation, Joan levelled accusations against Martin, painting him as domineering and abusive. Joan, leaving the family home with her son from a previous relationship, was assisted by neighbour Calvin Phillips, who lived opposite. Despite no evidence of an affair, Martin suspected Joan and Calvin were romantically involved, leading to heated accusations. During the move, Calvin and Joan stumbled upon a military computer and discs they believed held classified information, which they handed over to the police. Martin faced a court martial and potential army discharge, accused of mishandling classified data and sexual abuse charges. Calvin, aged 59, was set to testify at the court martial. Martin, vehemently denying all allegations, claimed his ex-wife fabricated the charges to "ruin him" following their split. On November 18, 2015, a burnt-out car was discovered in a Pembroke cornfield. The intense fire initially concealed the two bodies inside. The victims were identified as Calvin's wife Pamela, 58, and Edward Dansereau, 63, another neighbour. Their deaths were ruled homicides, with both suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The vehicle was traced back to Pamela's residence, where police were horrified to discover another gruesome crime scene. Pamela's husband Calvin was found dead in the basement, having suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The murderer had attempted to incinerate his body without success and had closed the cellar doors in an attempt to conceal the crime. A triple murder investigation was subsequently launched. Who could possibly want to kill these three neighbours? Investigators quickly unearthed that Calvin was scheduled to testify at Martin's court martial just a few weeks after his death. Was Calvin murdered to prevent him from testifying, and were the others killed to obscure the real target? By placing Pamela and Edward's bodies together, it could appear as though they were engaged in an affair. Did the murderer plan to move Calvin's body before it was found to frame him for the murders? However, despite thorough investigations, there was no evidence linking Martin to the murders and the case went cold. Martin faced his court martial as scheduled but without Calvin as a witness. Martin was found guilty of mishandling classified information and child assault. He received a 90-day prison sentence and was discharged from the army. Martin relocated to North Carolina and started anew. In early 2018, he secured employment with PSA Airlines. However, back in Pembroke, Calvin and Pamela's family remained resolute in their quest for justice for them and for Edward. The case was reopened after investigators were urged to do so and new evidence was presented. The Phillips family discovered a spent bullet shell casing near the cellar door on the back porch of Pamela and Calvin's home. They were puzzled as to how it had been overlooked years earlier when the police had thoroughly searched the crime scene, but they also found a set of Martin's dog tags on a shelf in the house. BULLET CASING The bullet casing was found to match a gun owned by Martin. Investigators could also now place Martin's mobile in the area where Pamela and Edward's bodies were discovered. Finally, there was sufficient evidence to charge him. In May 2019, Martin was apprehended at Louisville Airport, just moments before he was due to board a flight. Following his arrest, Martin was still dressed in his uniform when his mugshots were taken. Immediately, Martin denied any involvement in the deaths of his neighbours. He maintained that he was at home with his girlfriend - who is now his fiancée - at the time of the murders. She supported him and would testify that they were together at the time of the killings. As the trial neared, Martin's ex-wife Joan invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid giving testimony. In court this year, the prosecution alleged that Martin shot Calvin in his home on the morning of 18 November 2015, to prevent Calvin from testifying at his court martial. He disposed of the body in the cellar and attempted to burn it. When Pamela returned from her job at a bank, he also killed her by shooting her in the head. He also shot Edward in the head. Was Edward simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was his death a cover-up for the real target? Martin denied any involvement in the murders, leaving the question unanswered. Regardless, both Pamela and Edward became unintended victims. Following the murders, Martin set his alarm for 1.10am to transport Pamela and Edward's bodies to a field three miles away, where he torched their car. A neighbour heard the explosion, and the fire nearly reduced the car to ashes. In June 2021, following a two-week trial, Martin was convicted on all charges. He was found guilty of three counts of murder, along with charges of burglary, arson, and tampering with evidence. During the sentencing, the victims' family shared their memories. Matt Phillips, son of Calvin and Pamela, described his mum as warm-hearted and kind, while his dad was outgoing and full of energy. He referred to them as "direct opposites" but perfectly suited for each other. "They're just gone," he expressed. "And the concept of home, where you go for Thanksgiving or for Christmas, or just to go home, this concept of home has been taken. It's gone." Edward's daughter, Erin, informed the court that her father was a professional jazz pianist and a "passionate lover of life". "His spirit was infectious, and his spirit made everyone feel like they were loved," she said about her father. "If you were lucky enough to form any kind of relationship with him, it meant he loved you. There were no grey areas. You had a loyal friend for the rest of your life." The judge agreed with the jury's recommendation of life imprisonment without parole. Martin's legal team announced they would appeal. Despite his efforts, Martin couldn't salvage his reputation. And three innocent lives were lost.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Smaller planes, big questions: Why regional airlines are under the spotlight
Smaller planes, big questions: Why regional airlines are under the spotlight Show Caption Hide Caption Common flight maneuvers that might feel unsettling but are normal Here are three surprising flight maneuvers that feel dangerous but are completely safe. Regional airlines are smaller carriers that typically operate shorter flights and connect to a larger airline's hub. These airlines are subject to the same safety regulations as major carriers, but statistically have a higher incident rate. Passengers may not always be aware they are booked on a regional airline, as flights are often marketed under the main carrier's brand. Regional airlines are in the public consciousness lately in a way that usually only avgeeks think about them. This year, three high-profile aviation safety incidents involved regional jets: a fatal collision between an American Airlines/PSA Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C.; a Delta Air Lines/Endeavor Air regional jet that flipped over just after touching down at Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport, and another Delta/Endeavor Air regional jet that clipped its wing against the runway at LaGuardia International Airport in New York. As a result, many travelers are taking a closer look at their airline tickets and wondering what, exactly, these regional carriers are. At the end of the day, they are regulated the same way as the mainline airlines (American, Alaska, Delta and United) that they're affiliated with, but that doesn't mean they're exactly the same. Here's what you need to know if your next trip involves a regional airline. What is a regional airline? Regional airlines are carriers that generally operate smaller planes in smaller markets to feed traffic to an airline's hub. The aircraft themselves are often painted to look like part of the major carrier's fleet, and are branded with names like American Eagle, Delta Connection or United Express. Flights under those brands can be operated by a number of companies, which are usually either wholly-owned by the larger airline or under contract with the carrier. 'In today's environment, it is an airline with generally smaller aircraft up to 76 seats that operates on behalf of a major carrier, or in some cases, several major carriers. And they do so in their livery and with their service standards," Robert W. Mann Jr., a former airline executive officer and current president of R.W. Mann and Co., an independent airline consultancy, told USA TODAY. "From the airline's perspective, they want you to have the same experience on an airplane operated by one of their partners as you do on one of their airplanes.' These are the major regional partnerships of U.S. airlines: American Airlines (American Eagle) Envoy Air (wholly owned by American) Piedmont Airlines (wholly owned by American) PSA Airlines (wholly owned by American) Republic Airways (third-party contractor) SkyWest Airlines (third-party contractor) Alaska Airlines Horizon Air (wholly-owned by Alaska) SkyWest Airlines (third-party contractor) Delta Air Lines (Delta Connection) Endeavor Air (wholly-owned by Delta) Republic Airways (third-party contractor) SkyWest Airlines (third-party contractor) United Airlines (United Express) CommuteAir (third-party contractor) GoJet Airlines (third-party contractor) Mesa Airlines (third-party contractor) Republic Airways (third-party contractor) SkyWest Airlines (third-party contractor) For many travelers, it can be easy to miss whether a flight is operated by the main airline or one of its regional partners. Even for the third-party contractors, the airline that sells the ticket does everything from setting the price to processing the charge and likely, handling your check-in. "The average passenger does not realize that they are flying on Endeavor or SkyWest or what have you," William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project and former airline dispatcher, told USA TODAY. "You are booking on (the major carrier's) branded website, your credit card is charged to that major carrier, you tell the taxi driver or the Uber driver that you are going to that carrier's terminal, everything in the airport is branded with that major carrier's branding." Regional carriers fill what could otherwise be a gap in the aviation network, especially in smaller markets. Decades ago, under a different regulatory framework in the U.S., independent so-called "commuter" carriers often fed traffic to major airlines from smaller cities. When the airline industry was deregulated in the 1970s and 80s, major airlines shifted their network structure and placed greater value on more direct control over those feeder flights. Many of the commuter carriers folded, but the ones that remained evolved into today's regional airlines, according to Mann. Staff at regional airlines are often compensated at lower rates than their mainline counterparts, meaning those flights are frequently cheaper to operate for the larger company. While pilot wages at regional airlines have increased in recent years, cabin crew and ground staff wages are still usually significantly lower. Are regional airlines safe? The short answer is yes. According to Mann, regional airlines are under the same regulations as mainline carriers, so there's "a single level of safety" between the two. "I don't have any concerns about flying a regional airline partner," he said. 'It just happens to be a smaller airplane, and generally flown in a smaller market." McGee agreed that he doesn't get nervous flying on regional airlines but acknowledged that he does try to keep things in context. "We all know statistically how safe the system is, but it's incumbent upon us if we want to continue to have a safe system, that we look where there could be problems," he said. "There is a higher accident rate with regionals ... that is a statistical fact that we've had more problems on the regional side." Is flying safe? Here's what the experts say about the number of accidents. Still, McGee doesn't want travelers to worry the next time they fly on a regional jet. He believes it is important for the industry to be transparent about the operator, ensuring that travelers are fully informed about the context of regional flying. Especially after close together, high-profile incidents that involved regional jets, McGee said now's a good time to take a closer look at this aspect of the industry. "Cumulatively, these events indicate that we need to be more watchful than ever as far as standards: as far as aircraft maintenance, as far as piloting standards, all of this," he said. "My two bullets are: there are more problems at the regionals than the mainlines, that's a statistical fact. The other is, we don't want an erosion of standards," so keeping regionals under the same regulations as mainline carriers going forward is an important way to ensure continued safety, according to McGee. How do I know if my flight is operated by a regional airline? Airlines and third-party booking platforms are required to disclose what carrier is operating a flight when you book, though it may not always be obvious or easy to spot on the booking page. For the most part, because onboard service standards tend to be similar, for many travelers, it may not matter who the operator is. "I think a lot of people don't know until they get there, and it's not a 747 they're boarding," Mann said. "The degree of knowledge, especially of infrequent travelers, is limited." As a consumer advocate, McGee expressed hope that airlines will display their disclosures more prominently and that travelers will become better informed about the distinctions between regional and mainline airlines. "In 2025, we still have a long way to go for complete transparency on when you are flying on one of the three mainlines and when you are flying on one of their partners," he said. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
American Airlines flight evacuated after ‘haze' in cabin at Augusta airport
An American Airlines flight was evacuated at Augusta Regional Airport on Tuesday morning. An airport official says it was an inbound flight from Charlotte. Upon landing, officials noticed a haze in the aircraft. The aircraft pulled over and passengers evacuated, according to airport officials. Airport officials say passengers were safely removed. 'American Eagle flight 5406, operated by PSA Airlines, with service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), experienced a maintenance issue after landing safely in Augusta. All passengers deplaned and were escorted to the airport terminal. The safety of our customers is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience,' a spokesperson for American Airlines told WRDW. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Police searched woman's truck over marijuana smell. What was inside impacts dozens across metro Atlanta rapper Young Scooter died after accidentally injuring himself, medical examiner says Just how 'rich' are the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta?' Here's each one's net worth [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Post-Crash, PSA Airlines Looks To A New Future In Charlotte
A PSA Airlines CRJ-700 arrives at DCA in January. (Photo by Kevin Carter) January 29th was set to be a dramatic day for Dayton, Ohio-based PSA Airlines, a regional carrier owned by American Airlines. Executives had planned for months to announce that after 35 years, PSA was moving to Charlotte. 'We announced it that morning,' CEO Dion Flannery recalled this week. 'It was a very busy day, a well-thought-out day, after a lot of preparation,' he said. 'It was an emotional day, a heartbreaking day for the people in Dayton,' where PSA has about 350 headquarters employees. 'We held three or four internal meets and had calls with constituents,' he said. That Wednesday, one of the constituents, Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, told The Dayton Daily News, 'We are disappointed PSA chose to relocate their headquarters to Charlotte,' noting, 'We didn't have the opportunity to tell PSA why they should keep their corporate headquarters in Dayton.' PSA publicly announced the move late in the afternoon. Joe Horvath, PSA's communications was scheduling reporters for interviews with Flannery for the next morning when American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA, crashed at Washington National Airport around 8 p.m., killing 64 people on the airplane and three in the helicopter that flew into its path. That led to a period of mourning at PSA, a relatively small airline where the death of two pilots and two crew members had a deep impact on their co-workers, all Charlotte based. PSA's new headquarters will be in an office park three miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The carrier will have nearly 80,000 square feet of space, which is being renovated and which will include an operations control center, where the movements of the carrier's fleet of 140 CRJ 700s and 900s will be constantly monitored. (An additional 14 aircraft are scheduled to be added.) PSA operates about 750 daily departures for American, including 180 in Charlotte, its largest base of operations. It also serves the hubs at Dallas, Washington National and Philadelphia. The carrier employs about 5,000 people including 1,800 pilots; 1,300 flight attendants, 700 mechanics and its headquarters staff. It has crew bases in about ten cities. Charlotte is already its training center for both pilots and flight attendants. Pilot training has six CRJ simulators and annually trains about 600 new pilots, 250 upgrading pilots and others who undergo recurrent training. Coincidentally, Wednesday was a day of action for the PSA flight attendants, members of the Association of Flight Attendants, who staged demonstrations in Charlotte, Dayton, Philadelphia and Washington. About 50 flight attendants demonstrated in Charlotte, according to Sean Griffin, president of the Charlotte local of the Association of Flight Attendants. He is also vice-president of the union's master executive council. PSA's current flight attendant contract was signed in 2019 and became amendable in July 2023. 'The company has been slow with its proposals, which a lot of the time are insulting,' Griffin said. 'Our members are getting upset with how long this process is taking.' Talks have reached what is typically the final stage, where economic issues are negotiated. Pay scales at PSA and other regionals are generally about 45% below what American Airlines pays: new hires start at around $24,000 annually. Griffin said the union is seeking 30% raises: the company recently raised its offer to 5% from 3%. Flannery said, 'We're in negotiations and we intend to move those along and to get the contract our flight attendants deserve.' Flannery looks forward to the day when he can regularly walk in to training classes and the operations center and the airport. Employees like to meet the CEO, he notes: 'They get to ask real questions,' he said. Another benefit of the Charlotte headquarters is access to American's second biggest hub, which has about 690 daily departures to 170 destinations in 25 countries. Dayton International Airport has non-stop flights to ten airports, which for other destinations meant making connections. Hub residents often manage to avoid many of the complications of air travel. 'I look forward to being able to enjoy the power of the hub in Charlotte,' Flannery said.
