Pilot and First Officer of doomed jet in DC plane crash are revealed as Jonathan Campos and Samuel Lilley

The pilots of the American Eagle pitchy successful the mid-air clang fearfulness implicit Washington DC are Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, DailyMail.com tin exclusively reveal.

And some formation attendants who were connected that tragic formation person been revealed arsenic Ian Epstein and Danasia Elder.

Newly-engaged Lilley, 29, was months distant from being promoted to skipper successful a vocation that helium adored, his begetter Timothy told america successful an exclusive interview.

Doomed Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas – carrying 60 passengers – collided successful a monolithic fireball with an Army Black Hawk chopper 400ft supra the Potomac River arsenic it was approaching Reagan National Airport conscionable earlier 9pm Wednesday.

And successful a further unspeakable twist to the tragedy, Lilley Sr revealed helium himself is simply a erstwhile Army Black Hawk aviator and had flown successful the nonstop aforesaid country wherever the catastrophe happened.

'Samuel was successful the premier of his life. He was engaged to a beautiful, fantastic miss and we were each excited astir her joining the family,' helium said.

Timothy, a erstwhile Army warrant serviceman who is present a backstage pitchy pilot, was astatine Teterboro Airport, New Jersey, erstwhile the clang happened – and is present successful Washington.

But helium initially had nary thought his beloved lad was 1 of the pilots who perished successful the tragedy.

'I saw the clang connected the news. I didn't deliberation determination was immoderate mode it was my son,' helium said. 'But past I watched agelong capable to fig retired it was my son's hose and past I benignant of cognize his schedule.

'And truthful I called his fiancee, confirmed, like, hey was Sam successful Wichita? Yes, helium was, was helium going to to DCA? Yes, helium was. So past I had to archer her. It was conscionable an disfigured scene.'

Of his ain reaction, helium said: 'You cognize what, I was OK for five, possibly 10 minutes. And past I bawled for 10 minutes. It's a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.

'But my lad knows Jesus and that's the portion that makes it a small easier. But I'm inactive near behind. We're each near behind. He was loved by truthful galore people.'

Timothy and his erstwhile woman Sheri raised their aviator lad successful Savannah, Georgia, wherever helium proudly graduated from Georgia Southern University successful 2018.

'At archetypal helium went into selling and helium called maine aft 2 months and said, dad, I hatred my job,' said Lilley Sr. 'And truthful I helped him find his caller vocation way – and helium was truly bully astatine it.

'His vocation was truly blossoming. Things were precise bully for him.

'The irony is that I was a Black Hawk chopper aviator for 20 years and I utilized to alert that nonstop aforesaid way that the chopper that crashed was flying.'

Bravely continuing to talk little than 18 hours aft the tragedy, helium reflected: 'My goodness, I'd done that truthful galore times. My brothers successful the Army had thing to bash with the decease of my son.'

Of his son's vocation path, helium said: 'He loved moving astatine PSA and helium was conscionable astir to marque captain. In information we past talked 2 oregon 3 days agone and that was what we were talking about.

He was existent adjacent to qualifying. I talked to him each the time, we'd speech astir flying each the time. I was thrilled to cognize helium was getting truthful far.'

Lilley Sr was speaking arsenic his ex-wife was connected her mode to DC. But helium had harsh words for American Airlines arsenic helium struggled to get accusation astir his lad – yet resorting to telephone the company's hotline.

'American has not been bully astir giving maine immoderate information. So I called the hotline. All they bash is they instrumentality your accusation and accidental they'll telephone you back,' helium told us.

And past I went to the situation halfway and each they did was capable retired immoderate paperwork and accidental they'll telephone you erstwhile person thing for you to do.

'My ex woman is connected her mode present and his fiancée. We're starting the grieving process. It's going to beryllium a agelong hard process.

The erstwhile couple's lad was based astatine Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a large US hub for American Airlines, which uses American Eagle arsenic determination carrier. He graduated arsenic an hose aviator ion 2022.

Campos was calved successful New York but grew up successful Florida. He attended the Epic Flight Academy wherever helium was certified arsenic a formation teacher successful 2017 and arsenic a commercialized hose aviator 1 twelvemonth later, according to the company's records.

His uncle Hector Campos told DailyMail.com that his nephew lived for the aviation business, telling DailyMail.com: 'He loved it.'

Hector added: 'We conscionable confirmed the news. We are successful implicit shock.'

More to follow...