{"id":2432907,"date":"2025-05-09T12:34:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T16:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parents-of-pilot-killed-in-dc-plane-crash-praise-trumps-modernization-of-air-traffic-control-system-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T12:34:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T16:34:47","slug":"parents-of-pilot-killed-in-dc-plane-crash-praise-trumps-modernization-of-air-traffic-control-system-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parents-of-pilot-killed-in-dc-plane-crash-praise-trumps-modernization-of-air-traffic-control-system-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Parents of pilot killed in DC plane crash praise Trump\u2019s modernization of air traffic control system &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/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%2Fparents-of-pilot-killed-in-dc-plane-crash-praise-trumps-modernization-of-air-traffic-control-system-washington-examiner%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=2432907&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>The parents of Sam Lilley, an American Airlines pilot who died in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-duffy-details-steps-to-upgrade-air-safety-following-dc-crash-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Sean Duffy details steps to \u2018upgrade\u2019 air safety following DC ... - Washington Examiner\">tragic plane crash involving<\/a> a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet, have expressed their gratitude to President Donald Trump for his efforts to modernize the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pompeo-haley-slam-bidens-foreign-policy-decisions\/\" title=\"Pompeo, Haley slam Biden\u2019s foreign policy decisions\">air traffic control system<\/a>.During an interview on Fox News, Tim Lilley, Sam&#8217;s father, stated that improving the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >air traffic control system aims<\/a> to prevent similar tragedies in the future, helping other families avoid the pain they experienced after losing their son. The crash on January 29 resulted in the deaths of 67 people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced plans to replace outdated infrastructure to enhance safety and improve air travel. The Lilley family is encouraged by Duffy\u2019s leadership and the collaboration with industry leaders aimed at addressing these urgent issues. Tim Lilley, an Army aviation veteran, remembered his son fondly, noting his promising career was cut short tragically.  <\/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\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Parents of pilot killed in DC plane crash praise Trump&rsquo;s modernization of air traffic control system<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2102062\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The parents of Sam Lilley, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/american-airlines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">American Airlines <\/a>pilot killed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3393163\/potomac-plane-crash-pilot-air-traffic-controller-error\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Potomac plane crash<\/a>, praised the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/air-travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">modernization<\/a> of the nation&rsquo;s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/air-travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> air traffic control system<\/a> under President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just really want to thank President Trump for his leadership in putting forth this program because we want to really make sure that no other family has to go through the loss that our family and the other 66 families have gone through,&rdquo; Tim Lilley, Sam Lilley&rsquo;s father, said, during and appearance with his wife on Fox news&rsquo;s <em>Fox &amp; Friends<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3406555\/will-trump-tax-millionaires-new-bracket\/\">Trump sends mixed signals on new tax for millionaires: &#8216;Should probably not do it&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3406620\/maricopa-county-recorder-justin-heap-mail-unrequested-ballots\/\">Maricopa County recorder challenged over plan to mail unrequested ballots<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3406599\/egg-prices-investigation-doj-jim-banks-elizabeth-warren\/\">Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren push DOJ to further investigate egg prices<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The Jan. 29 crash occurred when a Black Hawk helicopter on a training mission collided with an American Airlines passenger jet carrying 64 people, resulting in the deaths of 67 people.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 640px; max-height: 360px; min-width: 320px; min-height: 180px; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/share.grabien.com\/share.php?id=2928336&amp;userid=11311&amp;loginid=9421&amp;playercolor=%23000000&amp;playersize=auto&amp;code=0f14b0d74c89b274a7286b27dc20bb78\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0px;\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Thursday, Transportation Secretary&nbsp;Sean Duffy&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3405992\/sean-duffy-air-traffic-control-upgrades-federal-aviation-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> a comprehensive plan to replace decades-old infrastructure to boost safety, support future&nbsp;air travel, and cut delays.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have been so encouraged by the urgency that Secretary Duffy is bringing to this situation,&rdquo; Sheri Lilley, Sam Lilley&rsquo;s stepmother, said. &ldquo;I was in D.C. yesterday at the press conference, and I was encouraged by that coalition that he&rsquo;s brought together of industry leaders, trade associations, you know, executives from major aircraft manufacturers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was just floored by the ability that he has had to pull together such a diverse group of people who all share the same goal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tim Lilley is an Army aviation veteran and pilot with decades of experience and said his son was a &ldquo;terrific man&rdquo; at the &ldquo;prime&rdquo; of his life.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He was engaged to be married. He was about to make captain. Everybody loved Sam,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s left a huge hole in our family. We take solace in knowing that Sam&rsquo;s name was written in the book.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s flying now on wings of glory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tim Lilley also said he spoke frequently with his son about flights into Reagan National Airport.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3393163\/potomac-plane-crash-pilot-air-traffic-controller-error\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">SEAN DUFFY UNVEILS FAA PLAN TO MODERNIZE AIR TRAVEL WITH TRUMP ON SPEAKERPHONE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t spend a lot of time in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trumps-plane-makes-emergency-landing-after-new-orleans-speech\/\" title=\"Donald Trump\u2019s ...e ...s Emergency Landing After New Orleans Speech\">air traffic control tower<\/a> or at the trade. So, he probably didn&rsquo;t realize just how outdated the system was,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been flying in and out of the New York area for the last few days, and we&rsquo;ve been delayed every single day because the system just can&rsquo;t keep up with what&rsquo;s going on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This thing was designed decades and decades ago, and, I&rsquo;ll tell you, Secretary Duffy, he gets it. We met with him just a few days after the accident. Everything we asked for, he&rsquo;s taking action on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2102062\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2102062\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parents of pilot killed in DC crash commend Trump\u2019s air traffic control upgrades<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2644,"featured_media":2432908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25128694620379-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[54938,49501,5007,9531,3634],"class_list":["post-2432907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-air-traffic-control-modernization","tag-dc-plane-crash","tag-parents","tag-pilot","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AP25128694620379-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432907","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\/2644"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2432907"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432911,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432907\/revisions\/2432911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2432907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}