Both the captain, Jonathan J. Campos, 34, and the co-pilot, Sam Lilley, 28, had been flying for years, according to family and friends.

The pilots of the American Airlines plane that collided with a U.S. Army helicopter late Wednesday night have been identified. Jonathan Campos, 34, was the captain of American Airlines Flight 5342 when an Army helicopter apparently flew into its path as it prepared for landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington,

The American Airlines pilots killed in the tragic Washington, D.C. crash have been identified. First Officer Sam Lilley, 28, died alongside 34-year-old Captain Jonathan Campos in the mid-air collision with a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.