A tragic mid-air collision in the United States claimed the life of a Pakistani woman, Asra Hussain Raza, who was among the passengers on American Airlines Flight 5342 when it was struck by a US military Black Hawk helicopter.
Asra had sent a final message to her husband, Hamaad Raza, moments before the crash, informing him that she would land in Washington in approximately 20 minutes. However, Hamaad, who was waiting at the airport for her arrival, never received another text. His father, Dr. Hashim Raza, recalled the heartbreaking moment, stating, “Asra was everything to us. Now my son is a widower at 25. They had dreams of starting a family. How do I comfort him?”
The couple, both graduates of Indiana University Bloomington, had been married for two years. Asra, 26, was a bright corporate finance student and later pursued a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University. She worked at a consulting firm in Washington, aspiring to contribute to public health reforms. Hamaad, 25, is an accountant at Ernst & Young. Asra frequently traveled to Wichita, Kansas, for work and was returning from one such trip when the disaster struck.
Dr. Hashim Raza, originally from Karachi and a graduate of Dow University, is recognized as one of Missouri’s most distinguished doctors, currently serving at the Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
Prime Minister Offers Condolences
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sorrow over the tragic accident, extending condolences to US President Donald Trump and the American people. In a message posted on X, he wrote, “Deeply saddened by the mid-air accident in Washington DC. Our thoughts and prayers are with US President Donald Trump and the American people during this difficult time.”
Investigation and Findings
All 60 passengers and four crew members on American Airlines Flight 5342 perished in the accident, along with three military personnel aboard the Black Hawk helicopter. The wreckage of the aircraft was found in three parts in the shallow waters of the Potomac River, though not all bodies have been recovered.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the collision, marking the deadliest air disaster in the US in over 20 years. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that both aircraft were following standard flight patterns, and no communication breakdown had been reported. Radio logs revealed that air traffic controllers had warned the helicopter about the incoming jet and instructed it to alter its course.
Notably, only one air traffic controller was handling local plane and helicopter traffic at Reagan National Airport on the night of the accident, a practice deemed “not normal” but acceptable for lower traffic volumes. The ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers in the US has raised safety concerns, with many controllers working overtime to meet demand.
This tragic incident is the worst aviation disaster in the US since November 2001, when an American Airlines jet crashed after taking off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people onboard and five individuals on the ground. Reagan National Airport, one of the busiest in the country, has seen multiple incidents over the years, with the NTSB investigating nine cases this century, two of which were fatal.
