Hamaad Raza said his wife had been texting him moments before the flight went off-grid: ‘That’s when I realized something might be up’
The husband of a woman aboard American Eagle flight 5342, which tragically crashed after colliding with a US Army helicopter on Wednesday night, recalled feeling that something might be wrong just before the disaster. In a tearful interview, Hamaad Raza shared that his wife had been texting him during the flight from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington DC when the collision occurred around 9 p.m.
As of now, aviation officials have not provided an explanation for the crash, though commercial airlines are typically equipped with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to prevent such incidents.
Emergency crews have been working tirelessly in freezing, icy waters overnight, searching through the wreckage in hopes of recovering the victims’ bodies. Officials have confirmed that several bodies have been recovered.
The husband of an American Airlines passenger shares the final conversation he had with his wife before the crash, as reported by WUSA9.
watch the full interview below
