Latest: Newlyweds lose first home to plane crash just months after moving in
SANTEE, Calif. — A cardiologist who worked in Arizona was killed Monday when his plane crashed in a Santee neighborhood, his employer confirmed.
Dr. Sugata Das worked at Yuma Regional Medical Center located in the southwestern portion of Arizona.
Authorities said Monday at least two people died in the crash. A UPS driver was killed when the twin-engine C340 Cessna hit a UPS truck and multiple homes.
The hospital offered their condolences in an emailed statement Monday.
“Our community has lost an exceptional physician, colleague and friend, a man who dedicated his life and career to caring for patients,” said Dr. Bharat Magu, Chief Medical Officer at YRMC. “Dr. Das was an outstanding cardiologist and dedicated family man. He was a highly disciplined physician who thrived on each opportunity to improve care for heart patients.”
Das joined YRMC’s medical staff in 2005 after completing his extensive training as an interventional cardiologist, officials said in a statement. He worked closely with fellow physicians and the staff at the hospital to “uphold leading-edge” heart attack intervention in Yuma.
“This is a difficult time for everyone at Yuma Regional Medical Center, particularly for our cardiac cath and heart teams, who are grieving the loss of a special colleague,” Magu said. “This is a tragic loss for our hospital, our medical staff, and the entire community. We ask for your support as we grieve the loss of an amazing physician and friend.”
After completing medical school and extensive training in India, his employer said he came to the United States to pursue his internal medicine residency at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan. Das then dedicated four more years of training to cardiology care, completing the cardiology fellowship at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan and the interventional cardiology fellowship at Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.
His career as a cardiologist spanned more than 15 years. During that time, he was notably recognized for his strong work ethic and compassionate manner with patients and staff.
