{"id":2397737,"date":"2025-02-01T08:41:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T13:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heartbroken-fox-news-star-bill-melugin-confirms-he-suffered-a-painful-loss-in-dc-plane-disaster\/"},"modified":"2025-02-01T08:41:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T13:41:52","slug":"heartbroken-fox-news-star-bill-melugin-confirms-he-suffered-a-painful-loss-in-dc-plane-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heartbroken-fox-news-star-bill-melugin-confirms-he-suffered-a-painful-loss-in-dc-plane-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Heartbroken&#8217;: Fox News Star Bill Melugin Confirms He Suffered a Painful Loss in DC Plane Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheartbroken-fox-news-star-bill-melugin-confirms-he-suffered-a-painful-loss-in-dc-plane-disaster%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2397737&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">tragic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-reveals-no-updates-on-boeing-crash-over-24-hours-later\/\" title=\"China Reveals No Updates on Boeing Crash over 24 Hours Later\">passenger jet crash<\/a> occurred<\/a> in Washington, D.C., involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk\u2063 helicopter, leading \u2064to the deaths of 67 individuals. Among the victims\u2062 was Wendy Shaffer, a friend of Fox News correspondent \u2062Bill Melugin, who shared his heartfelt condolences and memories \u200bof her.shaffer left behind a husband, Nate, and \u2064two young children. Nate expressed\u2062 his devastation over the loss of his wife, describing \u2064her \u200das an extraordinary \u2064person who \u200cbrought love and kindness to \u2064those around her.<\/p>\n<p>A\u200b gofundme page\u200b has\u200b been established \u200dto assist the\u2064 shaffer\u200d family with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-teens-charged-with-murder-of-uber-eats-driver-reportedly-getting-plea-deal\/\" title=\"D.C. teens charged with murder of Uber Eats driver reportedly getting plea deal\">funeral costs<\/a> and other financial needs. The crash \u2064also took the lives of \u2062several notable individuals,including 14 U.S. figure skaters and \u200dthe flight&#8217;s frist officer, Sam Lilley, who was set \u200bto be\u2062 married soon. His father shared the profound grief of losing his \u2063son, \u2063emphasizing the love and pride \u2062he felt for Sam. The examination into the cause of \u200cthe \u200bcrash is\u2063 ongoing.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin d that a friend of his was one of the victims of Wednesday night&rsquo;s passenger jet crash in Washington, D.C., that left 67 dead.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/stunning-footage-new-angles-raises-additional-questions-dc-plane-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cause of the collision<\/a> between American Airlines Flight 5342 with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport is still under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Sixty passengers and four crew members were aboard the jet, while 3 soldiers were aboard the helicopter.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is with great regret that I can confirm a friend of mine, Wendy Shaffer, lost her life in the AA plane crash last night. Wendy was an incredible wife to my friend Nate, and an amazing mom of two children, ages 3 and 1,&rdquo; Melugin wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I met them both when they were dating when I was working in Charlotte, NC. Always smiling, such a sweetheart. Heartbroken for Nate. We go from joking in our fantasy football group chat to this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-rudy-giuliani-tests-positive-for-coronavirus\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Rudy Giuliani Tests Positive for Coronavirus\">horrible news<\/a>,&rdquo; the reporter added.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">It is with great regret that I can confirm a friend of mine, Wendy Shaffer, lost her life in the AA plane crash last night. Wendy was an incredible wife to my friend Nate, and an amazing mom of two children, ages 3 and 1. I met them both when they were dating when I was working&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HE5K5ooBuj\">pic.twitter.com\/HE5K5ooBuj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/1885057436413026559?\">January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-issues-big-beautiful-quotas-ice-officers-arrests-illegals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Melugin<\/a> included a statement from Nate, who said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but I fear this is the truth. Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for. Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met. We will miss you more than words can express, Wendy Jo. I love you endlessly! Rest in peace, my love.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Friends of the Shaffer family set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/in-wendys-memory-support-for-the-shaffer-family\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GoFundMe page<\/a> saying, &ldquo;We want to ease the financial burden they now face, ensuring that the boys have the resources they need to thrive and that the family can focus on healing and honoring Wendy&rsquo;s memory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The funds raised will go toward covering funeral expenses, childcare, education, and the other day-to-day needs of the family.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/what-we-know-dc-plane-crash-victims-so-far-8783239\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">People<\/a> reported that some of the other victims of Wednesday&rsquo;s plane crash include 14 U.S. figure skaters, as well as former Miss Kansas and Harvard Law School graduate Kiah Duggins.<\/p>\n<p>Among the four members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-slams-cnns-kaitlan-collins-plane-crash-briefing-not-smart-question\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American flight crew<\/a> who perished was Sam Lilley, 28, the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-men-rescued-in-utah-after-avalanche\/\" title=\"4 men rescued in Utah after avalanche\">flight officer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tim Lilley identified his son, 28-year-old Sam Lilley, as the first officer on American Airlines flight. &ldquo;I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can&rsquo;t even cry myself to sleep.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eBTMtP8YjW\">https:\/\/t.co\/eBTMtP8YjW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/De2aZH59yX\">pic.twitter.com\/De2aZH59yX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/1885146022004789424?\">January 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>His father d in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tim.lilley.33\/posts\/pfbid0r1UgqYSWndbGzQ1WGbvkXxjXsfwoJx3mQ4K6SNMZWRVStVd5PJQdjw4cyfXJxJ6Ll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> that Sam was engaged to be married this fall, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/victims-identified-dc-plane-crash-involving-american-airlines-jet-military-helicopter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was so proud when Sam became a pilot. Now it hurts so bad I can&rsquo;t even cry myself to sleep. I know I&rsquo;ll see him again, but my heart is breaking,&rdquo; Tim Lilley wrote. &ldquo;He was doing great in his career and his personal life.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He added, &ldquo;It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin shared that a friend, Wendy Shaffer, was among the victims of the passenger jet crash in Washington, D.C., which resulted in 67 fatalities. The incident involved a collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, and the investigation into its cause is ongoing. The flight had 60 passengers and four crew members on board, while three soldiers were aboard the helicopter. In a post on X, Melugin expressed his sorrow over Wendy&#8217;s death, describing her as a wonderful wife to his friend Nate and a loving mother to their two young children. He reminisced about meeting them during their dating days in Charlotte, NC. Additionally, Nate released a statement mourning Wendy&#8217;s loss and highlighting her beauty inside and out as well as her incredible qualities as a wife and mother. Friends of the Shaffer family have initiated a GoFundMe campaign to help alleviate their financial burdens during this difficult time by covering funeral costs and supporting childcare and education needs for the children. Reports indicate that other victims included 14 U.S. figure skaters along with former Miss Kansas Kiah Duggins. Among those who died from the flight crew was Sam Lilley, identified by his father Tim Lilley as an engaged first officer who had been thriving both personally and professionally before this tragedy struck<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2397738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Picture-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49630,49631,32135,18077,6169],"class_list":["post-2397737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bill-melugin","tag-dc-plane-disaster","tag-fox-news","tag-heartbreak","tag-loss"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Picture-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397737"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397741,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397737\/revisions\/2397741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}