Two Indian Americans Among 67 People Killed in Tragic Midair Collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport
- They include Vikesh Patel, who worked at GE Aerospace, and Asra Hussain Raza, a consultant who regularly traveled to Wichita, Kansas, from where the American Airlines flight originated.
Two Indian Americans are among 67 people killed on Jan. 29 in the tragic midair collision between an Army helicopter and a jetliner at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Vikesh Patel, who worked at GE Aerospace, and Asra Hussain Raza, a consultant who regularly traveled to Wichita, Kansas, were on the fateful American Airlines jet, which originated from Wichita.
An Indiana University graduate from Carmel, Indiana, Hussain majored in health care policy at IU. She lived in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Hamaad Raza, who was a graduate of the IU Kelley School of Business. Her father-in-law, Hashim Raza, told 13News that Hussain was “a beautiful woman, brilliant, always smiling, artistic, academically brilliant.” He was “honored to be her father-in-law for two years,” he added.
Her husband Raza told NBC Nightly News that he always picked up his wife from departures. “I always help her load the bag into the car and give her a big hug and a kiss, and then, off we go,” he said. “I had dinner waiting at home.” His wife was “such a giver,” he said. “She gave and she gave and she gave, almost to the point of where she didn’t think about herself enough.”
Carmel Clay Schools sent out a message to families, acknowledging Hussain’s death. “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that Asra Hussain, a member of Carmel High School’s Class of 2016, was among those who tragically lost their lives while traveling to Washington, D.C..”
Vikesh Patel was “a cherished colleague” Larry Culp, chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace, where Patel worked. In a statement to WLWT, Cupl said “this is a tragedy not only for our industry, but also for the GE Aerospace team as one of our cherished colleagues, Vikesh Patel, was onboard the flight. Our hearts are with his family and all those impacted by this horrific accident.”
According to his Linkedin, Patel worked at GE Aerospace for more than a decade in several roles including Engine Assembly Engineer, Production Planner and Senior Operations Manager. He graduated from University of Maryland with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS from Penn State in Logistics, Material and Supply Change Management.