INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana teen who was attempting to set a record for an around-the-world flight was killed when his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean.
Family spokeswoman Annie Hayat said the plane flown by 17-year-old Haris Suleman went down shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa on Tuesday night. Hayat said the body of Haris Suleman had been recovered, but crews were still looking for his father, Babar Suleman.
Additional Images
Haris Suleman had recently obtained his pilot’s license and instrument rating and planned to be the pilot in command except in an emergency.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said the single-engine Hawker Beechcraft plane crashed into the ocean Tuesday night under unknown circumstances. The tail number provided by the FAA shows the plane is registered to a limited liability company whose address matches Babar Suleman’s home address in Plainfield, Indiana.
The Sulemans left Indiana on June 19 in hopes of making the trip in 30 days to set the record for the fastest circumnavigation in a single-engine airplane with the youngest pilot in command to do so. They were raising money for the Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit that builds schools in Pakistan.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.