Mumbai trainee pilot killed as 2 planes collide in Philippines

She had always wanted to be a pilot. From a humble, middle-class beginning in Dombivli, 24-year-old Reena Salvi had pursued her dreams all the way to Philippines.

She had always wanted to be a pilot. From a humble, middle-class beginning in Dombivli, 24-year-old Reena Salvi had pursued her dreams all the way to Philippines. There, for five months, she diligently logged in flying hours for her commercial pilot8217;s licence. During one such session on Sunday, the aircraft Reena was flying crashed into another plane while landing, killing her on the spot.

At the Salvi residence on Monday, Reena8217;s father Sahebrao stoically acknowledged condolences from grieving relatives. While mother Shobha was inconsolable, Sahebrao was trying to come to terms with the loss of his eldest daughter.

8220;I was told that the plane which she was flying solo had crashed into another plane while landing,8221; said Sahebrao. The two people inside the other plane also died. Reena had about 110 hours of flying experience under her belt and was on her way to completing the remaining 200 hours by August this year.

8220;After her HSC, she said she wanted to be a pilot. I told her that we could not afford the fees, but she was adamant. Once she made up her mind about something, she never changed it,8221; said Sahebrao.

Sahebrao, an employee in the Catering Department of Air-India, had overstretched his resources to support his daughter8217;s dream. The going was anything but easy, as Sahebrao had to provide for his other children 8212; son Sandip and daughters Manisha, Alka, Lakshmi and Chitra.

With the support of her family, Reena completed the theory papers from a flying academy in Delhi and decided to go to Philippines for a pilot8217;s

licence.

Alka, who had heart surgery about five years ago, collapsed when she heard about her sister8217;s death and had to be admitted to a private clinic. Though doctors declared Alka8217;s condition to be stable, her family doesn8217;t want to bring her home till Reena8217;s last rites are over.

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Reena8217;s body would be flown in from Philippines earliest by Tuesday morning.

The last time he chatted online with Reena, on Saturday, Sahebrao expressed his apprehensions about the bad weather in Philippines. 8220;She assured me that it was not that bad ,8221; he remembers.