Two student pilots from Canada died after their single-engine planes collided mid-air. This horrific accident happened south of Steinbach in the province of Manitoba on Tuesday morning.
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Two Canadian Student Pilots Die After Colliding Mid-Air
According to CBS News, the president of Harv’s Air pilot training school, Adam Penner, was “devastated” by the deaths. The two pilots were allegedly practicing takeoffs and landings while operating small Cessna planes.
Both pilots attempted to land at the same time, resulting in their collision a few hundred meters from the runway. Although the planes had radios, it seemed like neither pilot could spot the other.
So far, all we know is that the police pronounced them dead at the scene. “RCMP, fire department and Emergency medical services attended and located the wreckage of two small, single-engine aircraft, south of Steinbach,” said the statement.
“The two pilots were pronounced deceased on scene. There were no passengers aboard.”
One Of Two Dead Victims Identified
CBC identified one of the victims as 20-year-old Savanna May Royes, while the second victim remains unidentified. Royes’ family remembered her in a statement as “the essence of pure joy.” They also said her “faith and laughter will forever touch everyone who was lucky enough to have known her, during her short life.”
The outlet spoke with a witness to the terrible accident who was drinking coffee with his wife when it happened. Nathaniel Plett heard a bang early that morning. “I said to my wife, ‘That’s a plane crash,'” Plett said. “There was a pillar of black smoke coming up, and a little later [we] heard another bang, and there was an even bigger pop of black smoke.”
Penner added that while one pilot had been training for a few months, the other already had a commercial licence. They were both training to receive their private and commercial licenses.
“We don’t understand how they could get so close together,” Penner said. “We’ll have to wait for the investigation. There was a commotion … then I realized.”
The pilot school president also mentioned which planes were involved in the crash. One pilot operated a four-seater Cessna 172, the other a two-seater Cessna 152.