Indian-American entrepreneur among dead in Arizona plane crash

Washington, April 13

A young Indian-American entrepreneur was among six people killed in a plane crash in a suburb of Phoenix in Arizona, authorities said on Friday.

They identified him as Anand Patel, 26, the founder of What's Happy Clothing.

The plane Piper PA-24 Comanche which was headed to Las Vegas crashed Monday night onto a Scottsdale golf course, some 15 minutes after takeoff from the city airport.

On hitting the ground, the plane burst into flames, killing all the six passengers on board. The age of all of them ranged from 22 to 28 years.

Anand Patel, popular among his friends by the name of happy, came to the US along with his twin brother Akash Patel in 2009 for studies. He co-founded the clothing line and worked as an event promoter, flying coast to coast with friends and clients on trips that often included stops in Scottsdale, local Republic news paper reported.

Anand Patel was "an entrepreneur with lots of energy and lots of charisma," Akash Patel told the daily.

The plane crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board with help from the Federal Aviation Administration. PTI