Sreehari Sukesh,Savanna May Royes Obituary, Death; – Two student pilots tragically lost their lives when their aircraft collided mid-air during training at a flying school in Canada.
The novice pilots’ single-engine planes crashed in southern Manitoba on Tuesday morning while they were practicing takeoffs and landings with Harv’s Air flying school. This institution was previously under scrutiny earlier this year after a student sustained serious injuries from a propeller, as reported by the CBC.
The victims were identified as Sreehari Sukesh, an Indian national, and Savanna May Royes, a 20-year-old Canadian who aspired to follow in her father’s footsteps by pursuing a career in aviation.
“We are perplexed as to how they managed to fly so close to one another. We will await the findings of the investigation,” stated Adam Penner, the president of the flying school where both students were training to obtain their commercial pilot licenses.
“We are heartbroken.”
The remains of the students were recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft — a four-seater Cessna 172 and a two-seater Cessna 152 following the crash that occurred around 8:45 a.m. in rural Hanover, according to officials.
One pilot had only been in training for a few months, while the other was on the verge of obtaining a commercial license, Penner noted, without disclosing which student was which. There were no passengers aboard.
Royes’ grieving family characterized her as “the essence of pure joy,” emphasizing her pursuit of her lifelong dream to become a professional pilot, like her father.
“Savanna’s faith and laughter will always resonate with everyone fortunate enough to have known her during her brief life,” the family expressed.
The consulate general of India in Toronto confirmed Sukesh as the other victim, but did not disclose his age or any additional biographical information.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family,” the consulate stated in a social media message. “The Consulate is in communication with the grieving family, the pilot training school, and local authorities to offer all necessary support.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. The agency probed Harv’s Air Service earlier this year following an incident at St. Andrew’s Airport north of Winnipeg in which an employee suffered “serious injuries” from a small aircraft propeller while helping a student start the plane, according to the CBC.
Penner said the flight school has been operating since the 1970s and trains about 400 students per year from all around the world for recreational and professional pilots’ licenses. Students typically receive one-on-one with an instructor — and it’s normal for them to fly solo during their training, he said.
“It’s been a shocking morning,” Mohamed Shahin, an instructor at Harv’s Air and former student told the CBC. “Really heartbreaking, and we feel really sad for the parents of the students we lost.”
