Hamaad Raza, whose wife Asra Hussain was aboard American Airlines Flight 5342, learned about the crash through social media before receiving official confirmation. Just minutes before the collision, Asra texted him, “We’re landing in 20 minutes.” However, while waiting at Reagan National Airport, Raza noticed an unusually high number of emergency vehicles racing past him and quickly realized something was wrong.
When Asra stopped responding to his texts, Raza turned to Twitter for answers. “I show up to the airport, and my wife’s not responding, and I look on Twitter and I see that it’s her flight,” he told NBC 4 Washington. The heartbreaking realization came as he stood in Terminal 2, surrounded by emergency responders.
The couple had met in college in Indiana and had been married for just two years. Asra, who was returning from a business trip in Wichita, was described by Raza as “the kindest person I’ve ever met” who “went above and beyond for others.” He is now preparing for her funeral, reflecting on the fragility of life.
The crash, which killed all 64 people aboard the plane and three in the helicopter, is now being called the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001. Officials have yet to determine the cause, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated the tragedy was “absolutely preventable.”
