Female pilot dies as 2 planes crash mid-air
A female student pilot died when two small planes crashed into each other in mid-air around 8:45 a.m., Tuesday at Harv’s Air Pilot Training School in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada.
According to the school’s president, Adam Penner, both pilots were practicing takeoffs and landings in Cessna planes when they accidentally tried to land at the same time.
Penner said the crash happened just a few hundred yards from the runway.
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The planes had radios, but it seemed like the two pilots didn’t notice each other as they were coming in.
“We don’t understand how they could get so close together,” Penner said. “We’ll have to wait for the investigation.”
One of the pilots had just started training a few months ago. The other was almost ready to get a commercial license. Sadly, both of them died at the scene.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, but one of them was confirmed by her family to be 20-year-old Savanna May Royes. Her loved ones described her as full of joy and faith.
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“Savanna’s faith and laughter will forever touch everyone who was lucky enough to have known her during her short life,” her family said in a statement.
Lucille and Nathaniel Plett, who live close to the flight school, said they heard disturbing noises that morning.
“We heard some kind of crackling, banging sound and then the engine turned off – I recognized that because sometimes they do stunts around here and they turn the engine off, but they turn it back on,” Lucille said.
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“Next thing we heard is a big crash and a big bang… and we knew this isn’t a stunt, this is something serious.”
Nathaniel said when he stepped outside, he saw smoke rising from the crash site.
“There was a pillar of black smoke coming up and a little bit later [we] heard another bang and there was an even bigger pop of black smoke,” he said.
This type of crash is rare for the training school, which has been running since the 1970s. It trains students from different parts of the world for both recreational and professional flying.
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“For more than 51 years, we have been offering the very best flight training the safest, most enjoyable way possible,” the school states on its website.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is now investigating the accident. Officials have sent a team to the site, which is about 42 miles south of Winnipeg.
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