A man whose wife was on the c American Airlines Flight 5342 that crashed last night has revealed the heartbreaking final texts he got from her before the crash.
Hamaad Raza revealed his 26-year-old wife was on board the tragic flight from Wichita, Kansas to Washington when it collided with a military helicopter just before 9pm on Wednesday night, Jan. 29.
Emergency services in the city are searching the Potomac River near the airport following the incident.
“I’m just praying that somebody’s pulling her out of the river right now, as we speak. That’s all I can pray for, I’m just praying to God,” Raza told WUSA9.
Raza revealed the plane was so close to landing that his wife got reception and was able to text him immediately before the crash.
Raza then showed the reporter, who described it as “one of the most heartbreaking interviews of my professional career” what he’d sent her on his phone.
He said he received a text from his wife saying “Landing in 20 minutes.” He added that he had tried to send a message back and it did not go through and that’s when he realized something might be wrong.
“The rest of my texts didn’t get delivered and that’s when I realized that something might be up,” he said.
The man said his wife had gone to Wichita for work but that she’d never felt comfortable flying.
Raza and a family member were pacing anxiously through Terminal 2 at Reagan Airport waiting for any news.
The airline has confirmed that there were 60 passengers and four crew members onboard Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, to the Capital when the collision happened.
NBC Washington is reporting that at least four people have been pulled from the water by rescue crews as dive teams survey the crash site.
The plane is said to have split in two and is in around seven feet of water, while the helicopter is upside down and is unstable, according to the outlet.
The Federal Aviation Authority said that the jet, a Bombardier CRJ700, collided with a Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Runway 33.
Defence officials have confirmed that the Black Hawk was an Army chopper that was carrying three soldiers at the time who were on a training flight.
Law enforcement sources have told CNN that there are confirmed fatalities and that no survivors have yet been rescued.
CBS meanwhile have reported that the bodies of 18 people have been recovered and that divers are exploring three debris fields.
Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center shows two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to collide before erupting in a fireball.
Below is the video showing the moment both aircraft collided.
A plane and a helicopter collided mid-air near DCA airport in Washington DC. Initial reports indicate that the plane, AA5342, crashed into the Potomac River. Flight tracking data shows the plane did not reach the runway and was last recorded over the river. pic.twitter.com/08EMyJbmoL
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