At least two individuals of Indian origin were among 67 deaths in a collision between an army helicopter and a commercial plane in Ronald Reagan National Airport In Washington.
Vikesh PatelEmployee in Ge Aeospace, and Asra Hussain raceA DC -based consultant were passengers on board American Airlines Flight 5342 When he crashed with the military plane on Wednesday night.
Patel, which resides in the Great Cincinnati, had recently taken a new position in the company as a leader of Mro transformation with national responsibilities, as listed in its professional profile. Larry Culp, president and CEO of Ge Aeospace, confirmed the presence of Patel on the flight in a statement to Fox19 on Thursday night. “This is a tragedy not only for our industry but also for the GE Aerospace team as one of our appreciated colleagues, Vikesh Patel, was aboard the flight,” Culp said. “Our hearts are with their family and all those affected by this horrible accident.”
During his more than ten years in Ge Aospace, Patel served in several positions, including the engine assembly engineer, the production planner, the Senior Operations Manager, the Lean Transformation Coach and the leader of the site before his recent change of roles, according to the PTI report.
Meanwhile, the second victim, Aso Raza, 26, was confirmed by his father -in -law Dr. Hashim Raza in a statement to CNN.
Born of Indian immigrant parents, race completed his studies with honors at the University of Indiana in 2020 and married his university girlfriend in August 2023, according to Hashim.
As an consultant based in Washington, DC, Raza made biweekly trips to Wichita for a hospital improvement project. He regularly contacted his father -in -law after his emergency room changes to guarantee his safe trip home. “She did everything possible for everyone,” said her father -in -law.
Before the accident, Raza sent a message to her husband about her imminent arrival, but the circumstances changed dramatically when she arrived at the airport. “She said: ‘We are landing in 20 minutes,” said Hamaad Raza. This proved to be his final communication. “I was waiting and began to see a lot of ems vehicles that accelerate beyond me, like too many, and two, my texts were not happening,” Hamaad told NBCWashington. “I mean, it is as if you see that these things happen in the news, you see that they happen in other countries. And then, I present myself at the airport, and my wife does not respond, and I look on Twitter and see that she is. Flight.” , he added.
He also mentioned receiving the support of family and friends who share their unexpected loss.
This incident stands out as the worst in the United States aviation disaster Since 2001.
