Pakistani Woman Among Those Killed in US Plane and Helicopter Collision

A Pakistani woman, Asri Hussain, was among the 67 people killed in a tragic collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. on January 30.

Asri’s husband, Hamad Raza, shared with local media that around 8 p.m. on that day, his wife sent him a text message informing him that her flight was about to land at Reagan National Airport. However, when Hamad tried to reply, his messages weren’t delivered, leading him to fear something was wrong. Tragically, that was Asri’s last message.

Asri Hussain was aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided mid-air with a Black Hawk helicopter carrying three U.S. military personnel. Asri was in Wichita, Kansas, for business and was on her way back when the accident occurred.

Hamad Raza, who is from Missouri, lost his wife in the incident. According to close family friends, Hamad and Asri had married two years ago. Asri was 26 years old, and Hamad was 25. Both were graduates of Indiana University. Hamad works as an accountant at Ernst & Young.

Asri’s father-in-law, Dr. Hashim Raza, is a well-known doctor from Karachi, Pakistan, and serves at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

The crash involved the American Airlines flight carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, all of whom perished. The Black Hawk helicopter, which collided with the plane, had three military personnel on board, all of whom also died. The wreckage of the plane, which broke into three parts, was recovered from the Potomac River, but not all bodies have been found yet.

Initial investigations have pointed to staff shortages at the airport’s control tower, where a single controller was handling tasks usually performed by two controllers. It was revealed that the air traffic controller instructed the pilot to change the plane’s runway at the last moment. Shortly after, the controller asked the Black Hawk helicopter pilot if they could see the plane approaching, but received no response. The helicopter was then directed to allow the plane to pass, but the collision occurred moments later.

The incident raised concerns about the airport’s handling of the situation, as only a day before, another aircraft had been forced to abort its landing at the same airport.