The small plane of a Pakistani-origin Indiana teenager went down shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa for Honolulu, over the Pacific Ocean on July 22.
Haris Suleman, 17 and his father Babar Suleman, were aboard the plane when it crashed. The Sulemans left Indiana on June 19 in a bid to make a world trip in 30 days to set the record for the fastest circumnavigation around the world in a single-engine airplane with the youngest pilot in command. The trip was also to raise money for the Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit that builds schools in Pakistan. They were scheduled to stops in England, Egypt and Pakistan and return home on July 30.
Annie Hayat, a family spokesperson, said the body of Haris Suleman had been recovered, but crews were still looking for his father. Haris’ sister Hiba Suleman said that the plane took off at about 9:50 p.m. and the air traffic controller saw the plane going down at 10:15. “With a trip like this, there’s always a risk, and they did prepare for that risk,” she said.
Babar Suleman was an experienced pilot while Haris recently received his license in June this year.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said the single-engine Hawker Beechcraft plane crashed into the ocean under unknown circumstances. The tail number provided by the FAA shows the plane is registered to the address of Babar Suleman in Plainfield, Indiana, west of Indianapolis.
The NTSB is investigating the cause of crash.