2 Ga. air crash victims remembered as ‘committed,’ ‘genuine’

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. - Wednesday’s midair collision in Washington has left many reeling in Richmond Hill, hometown of an American Airlines pilot who died in the tragedy, and in Lilburn, hometown of a soldier who also died.

Everyone on both aircraft died when a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

The first officer on the plane was Samuel Lilley, who grew up in Richmond Hill, and the crew chief on the helicopter was Ryan O’Hara, of Lilburn.

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“I think it’s good to remember him as a great man, genuine, kind person. He always was the funniest person in the room. I’m sure everybody has a story about him making them laugh who knew him,” said Paul Keyes, a friend of Lilley.

The two met in high school when Paul’s family moved to Richmond Hill for the military. It didn’t take long for him to discover what an amazing person Sam was.

From the youth group at Coastal Community Christian Church to the dorms at Georgia Southern University, the pair were inseparable even after Paul moved from the area.

Just days before the crash, the friends were in touch.

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“I mean, I was speaking with him on Monday and Tuesday about some upcoming plans, and we were both excited about that,” said Keyes. “And then I, I knew he was in Kansas for work, like flying, but I didn’t really see or expect it to be his flight.”

“Devastated” is how Paul describes losing his dear friend.

Despite the tragedy, Paul knows his friend was doing one of his favorite things in the world when he died — flying.

Sam followed in his father Tim Lilley’s footsteps by becoming a pilot.

“I know that he put everything he had into being a pilot, and it was his favorite thing to do. You could really tell that by talking to him.”

Local church leader Shane Therault has known Sam for most of his life. In that time, he says Sam was always willing to help friends, family and strangers alike.

“If there was somebody that was down or upset, he’d go out of his way and make sure, you know, make sure he gave them whatever it was they needed. He had a real ability to tell what it was they needed in that moment,” said Therault. “Whether they needed to laugh he could get them to crack a smile. If they needed to have a shoulder to cry on, he would be that confidant for them.”

Therault serves as executive minister and worship leader at Sam’s hometown church, Coastal Community Christian Church. The two became good friends when they started serving together.

For years, both men were counselors at Coastal Empire Christian Camp in Sylvania — something he says Sam especially loved.

“His faith was extremely important to him. And all the times I’ve spoken to him, he was always, that was a big point of topic,” said Therault. “And so, I do have faith that I’ll get to see him again.”

Ryan O’Hara

Also killed in the crash was another Georgian, Ryan O’Hara, the crew chief on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, was part of the 2014 class of Parkview Marine Corps JROTC at Parkview High School in Lilburn.

He was one of three soldiers aboard the helicopter.

David Erwin, a retired Marine and JROTC instructor, knew O’Hara.

“First of all, it’s a privilege to be able to speak about Ryan and I’m privileged to be a part of his journey and cross paths with him,” Erwin said. “He was a kid you could count on no matter what the task was.”

The collision happened after the helicopter flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday as it was landing at the airport.

Erwin was O’Hara’s JROTC instructor at Parkview High School in Gwinnett County, where his future career path began.

“So he went right into the Army out of high school and had the helicopter contract,” he said about O’Hara. “He was a mechanic first and then became a crew chief on the Blackhawks.”

Josh Muehlendorf, a senior instructor pilot in the U.S. Army, said:

“Ryan was just the most committed, disciplined person I remember working with. He had such great integrity.”

The two flew together numerous times on the same route in D.C. several years prior to the fatal crash and O’Hara took rules and procedures seriously, according to Mehlendorf.

“Ryan was one of those crew chiefs who always had our back,” he said. “It’s really hard to stomach a guy as professional and excellent as he was.”