KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Three Kansas doctors that were killed in a small plane crash were remembered by friends, family and members of the medical community Sunday.
A memorial service was held at Az Zahra Islamic Center for Dr. Maria Javaid, her husband, Dr. Ali Kanchwala, and the couple’s close friend, Tausif Ur Rehman. The three were killed after a small plane they were on crashed in the Chicago suburb of Palos Hills, Illinois last Sunday. Friends of the group said the plane was heading back to Lawrence. They said the three doctors were coming back from a shopping trip in Chicago.
Venkad Pasnoori, Dr. Javaid’s medical partner, said she was a woman he learned a lot from.
“As a group it’s a big loss, for the hospital it’s a big loss, for the patients it’s a big loss,” Pasnoori said.
The plane was registered to Dr. Rehman, according to the FAA’s website. Moben Mirza, who did his residency alongside Dr. Rehman in New Mexico, said Rehman was a man of his word.
“He was a true physician, a true healer,” Mirza said. “It was more than a job to him it was his life, it was what he believed in.”
Mirza said Dr. Rehman was an avid pilot of nearly 10 years.
“He was very adventurous, he was very smart, very innovative,” Mirza said.
Dr. Javaid was an interventional cardiologist at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Dr. Ali Kanchwala and Dr. Tausif Rehman worked at Stormont-Vail HealthCare Center in Topeka. Dr. Rehman was a neurosurgeon and Dr. Kanchwala was a pulmonologist.
Huma Baig, a close friend of Dr. Javaid, said she was a woman who would give up anything to help others.
“I’m sure their patients are devastated,” Baig said. “It’s a big loss for not just their families and friends it’s a big loss for the whole community.”
Last Sunday, the tower at Chicago’s Midway International Airport lost contact with the pilot of the twin-engine plane. The National Transportation Safety Board said there were no obvious reasons why the plane crashed. It crashed into some trees and landed in a small field, police said. Witnesses say it appeared the pilot was trying to avoid hitting those homes.
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