Savannah, Georgia, is preparing for a public memorial to honor Sam Lilley, a local pilot who tragically died in a midair collision near Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport. Lilley, an American Airlines pilot, was killed on January 29 when his passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk Army helicopter. According to FOX 5 Atlanta , the memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Georgia Southern's Armstrong campus in Savannah. A water cannon salute greeted Lilley’s return to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport over the weekend.

As per the WSAV report , American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines has posthumously honored Lilley with the Honorary Captain Upgrade and awarded him and the crew the PSA Honorary President’s Award, which will be presented to their families. Lilley was a Richmond Hill native and an alumnus of Richmond Hill High School and Georgia Southern University.

The January crash is the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001. No fatal crashes involving U.S. airliners have occurred since 2009. According to FOX 5 Atlanta , an air traffic controller tried to prevent the collision when the planes were over a mile apart, but the crash still occurred. The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash using the flight data recorders.

Timothy Lilley, Sam’s father and a former military helicopter pilot, shared the moment he learned of his son's death. He told FOX 5 Atlanta , “Last night when I saw on Fox News there was a crash in DC, I really didn't think there was any way that was my son.” Sam was planning his wedding and future family, and his friend Shane Therault described him as someone whose life was finally set.