Two students from a flight training school tragically lost their lives when their planes collided mid-air near Steinbach South Airport, approximately 60 kilometers south of Winnipeg. The victims were identified as Sreehari Sukesh, 23, from Statue New Road, Tripunithura, and his classmate Savanna May Royce, 20, a Canadian citizen. Sreehari was the son of Sukesh, a Central Bank official, and Deepa, an employee at UST Global.
Reports indicate that the collision took place around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that both pilots—a man and a woman—were operating single-engine aircraft as part of their training. Sadly, Sreehari and Savanna were pronounced dead at the scene.
Both were enrolled at Harv’s Air, a flight training school based in Manitoba with locations in Steinbach and St. Andrews. Sreehari was working towards his commercial certification, while Savanna was training for her private pilot license.
It is thought that the two solo pilots collided while trying to land at the same time. Both aircraft ignited and crashed in a field approximately 400 meters from the runway. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has initiated an investigation to uncover the cause of the accident.
