Severely injured daughter files lawsuit for ‘preventable’ crash that killed her mother in 2023

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Indian American Reeva Gupta, 33, who was severely injured in a Long Island, NY, plane crash on March 5, 2023 that killed her mother Roma Gupta, 63, and the pilot, is suing two entities in what is described as an “entirely preventable” tragedy, New York Post reported March 3, 2025, following an exclusive interview with the surviving victim.

A GoFundMe page created after the tragedy by “MSW Neurosurgery PAs’ on behalf of the Gupta family, has so far raised $211,018 of the projected goal of $250,000, through 1,700 donations.

The story as it appears on the GoFundMe page says the two women wanted to fulfill a lifelong wish and booked a flight lesson in Long Island. “While the flight was airborne, smoke was reported in the cockpit. The plane tried to make an emergency landing but ultimately crashed into a neighborhood in Lindenhurst, where the plane burst into flames. Reeva and the pilot were airlifted to the closest, and best, burn center on Long Island, Stony Brook University Hospital. Reeva is in critical condition, with third-degree burns over her body. She is fighting for her life,” the account on GoFundMe said of the situation almost exactly two years ago to date.

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One month later, on April 5, 2023, the Gupta family sent a message to donors thanking them for their generosity and emotional support, adding, “This past month has been the most difficult challenge we’ve ever faced as a family, but with your love and support we realize this is something we will overcome. Reeva remains in critical condition and is fighting every minute to overcome this. There have been ups and downs, but the overall trajectory for Reeva’s progress is positive. We are hopeful that she will enter rehab this spring and will continue to make progress on the long road to recovery that lies ahead. The journey will be challenging, but Reeva is our Superwoman and we have every confidence that she will make it through this. Thank you again for all that you’ve done for our family.”

In the latest development, as described by Reeva Gupta in a video on NY Post’s website, the young woman has apparently pulled through. The video shows the dramatic burn injuries she suffered.

Gupta in her filing in Queens Supreme Court, accuses 2 BA Pilot NYC and parent company Danny Waizman Aviation, according to the NY Post report.

“My life was changed forever. What was meant to be a mother-daughter bonding experience turned into a horrific tragedy,” Reeva Gupta says in the latest video. She said she is hoping to bring awareness about the tragedy and how profits overshadowed concern for human life.

She spoke about where her life was when the tragedy happened, noting that she was a physician assistant at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and had just started a new relationship with her whole life ahead of her.

She goes on to say that she has had to undergo “terrible, painful medical procedures,” and is permanently disabled. Her treatment would probably have to continue for the rest of her life, she added.

NY Post reported that a federal crash report blames an electrical short as the cause of the crash,. The paper quoting from the court filing, also notes that there had been smoke in the plane’s cockpit just weeks before the two Indian American women went up on the plane.

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