Crash kills Pak-American teen pilot attempting world record

A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 from the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii circles just south of Tutuila Island, American Samoa, searching to locate further debris and Babar Suleman. (Source: AP)

The journey, months in the planning, would take the pair on a 42,647-km odyssey, with 25 stops planned in 15 countries.

Their Beechcraft A36 Bonanza aircraft crashed on Tuesday night, just 20 minutes after taking off from Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa island en route to Hawaii, Haris’ sister, Hiba Suleman, said on Wednesday night.

It is unclear why the plane crashed or why the duo took off at night.

“He was doing something that he loved. He was doing something adventurous,” she said of her brother, who received his pilot’s license in June. And he was doing it for a good cause, she added.

The Sulemans left Greenwood, Indiana on June 19. Haris was hoping to complete the trip in 30 days to set the record for the fastest circumnavigation around the world in a single-engine airplane by the youngest pilot.

Haris Suleman, center right, in blue shirt, and his father, Babar Suleman, center left, stand with the plane in early July 2014 in Pakistan that they were flying on an around-the-world trip. (Source: AP)

The family was notified of the crash by the US Coast Guard, Hiba said.

“We’re hoping my dad is alive and well, and we’re going to keep praying until we have a definitive answer,” Hiba was quoted as saying by CNN.

“It is a tragedy of immense proportions,” Khan said. “We are all still hopeful that we will have Babar come back,” she said.

The duo were expected to return to Indiana on Saturday. Their stops included the UK, Egypt and Pakistan.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said that officials were investigating the accident. The cause of the crash is not yet known, the Indianapolis Star reported.

The Sulemans have raised more than USD 500,000 for The Citizens Foundation.