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A trainee pilot from Kerala was killed in a mid-air collision between two training aircraft in Canada on Tuesday, July 8. Sreehari Sukesh, a native of Tripunithura in Ernakulam district, was one of two students who died in the crash near Steinbach Airport in Manitoba. Sreehari’s family has appealed to both the state and Union governments for assistance in repatriating his body.
Sreehari was training for his Commercial Pilot License (CPL) at Harv’s Air, a flying school based in Steinbach. The fatal accident occurred around 8.45 am during a routine takeoff training session.
When Srihari missed his regular phone call, his parents grew concerned and contacted the flying school. Later that day, Harv’s Air confirmed that two single-engine aircraft — one piloted by Sreehari and the other by Savanna May Royce, a Canadian student at the same institute — had collided during training. Both trainees lost their lives.
“They were practicing takeoffs and landings in one motion, and we don't understand how they could get so close together,” said Adam Penner, owner of Harv’s Air, in a statement to CBC News. The incident took place during a ‘touch-and-go’ exercise, a standard manoeuvre in which an aircraft lands on a runway and immediately takes off again.
“An instructor from the flying school informed us that two aircraft came in on parallel paths. One brushed against the fuel tank of the other, leading to the accident. We have no further details,” said Deepesh Chandran, Sreehari’s maternal uncle. “Sreehari had already secured his private pilot license (PPL) and was just 180 flying hours away from completing his CPL. He was nearing the end of his training when this tragedy occurred.”
Officials from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that no passengers were on board either aircraft. “The Transport Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has been informed,” the RCMP said in a statement.
Deepesh said the family has contacted the Chief Minister’s Office, MPs Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, and the Ministry of External Affairs for help repatriating the body. “Completing the funeral rites for him is the only closure for us,” he added.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto confirmed the incident and Sreehari’s identity in a social media post on July 9, extending condolences to the family. The consulate said it was in contact with the family, the flying school, and local authorities to provide necessary support.
The Transport Safety Board of Canada, the national agency responsible for investigating aviation accidents, has launched a formal inquiry into the collision, according to a report by Mathrubhumi.