A man whose wife was on the American Airlines flight that collided with an Army helicopter received a text from his wife about 20 minutes before the plane was supposed to land. Hamaad Raza told CNN affiliate WUSA that his wife sent him a text letting him know the plane would be arriving soon. Sadly, the texts he sent back were never delivered, leading him to suspect something was wrong.
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“She texted me that they were landing in 20 minutes,” the man told WUSA, per People. “The rest of my texts did not get delivered. That’s when I realized something might be up.” About 9 p.m. January 29, 2025, an American Airlines passenger jet collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, over the Potomac River near Washington, DC.
Sixty passengers and four crew members were on the flight that departed from Wichita, Kansas. Three soldiers were aboard the Army helicopter. It is now believed there were no survivors, CBS News reported.
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Raza’s father shared the family’s devastating loss on social media. Dr. Hashim Raza wrote that his 25-year-old son “lost his beautiful wife,” according to KSDK. “We are going to DC to be with him,” the father wrote on X. “Hug your family. We are devastated. Our Faith in God is unshakable.”
This my 25 yo old son who lost his beautiful wife. We are going to DC to be with him. Hug your family. We are devastated. Our Faith in God is unshakable.
— Hashim Raza (@HRaza66) January 30, 2025
The man’s uncle, Asim Raza, told the news outlet the family is “just trying to make sense of this tragedy.” He encouraged people to “keep us in your prayers.”
On the morning of January 30, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said at least 28 bodies had been recovered from the river, including at least two teenagers. “We don’t believe there are any survivors,” he explained. “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”
In a statement shared on X, US Figure Skating confirmed that “several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342.” According to the statement, “these athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.”
U.S. Figure Skating can confirm that several members of our skating community were sadly aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, which collided with a helicopter yesterday evening in Washington, D.C. These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National…
— U.S. Figure Skating (@USFigureSkating) January 30, 2025
“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” the statement continued. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”
