Director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele says the family of Babar and Haris Suleman has hired an Oregon company to conduct the underwater search.
The Sulemans have contacted the port director for assistance in organizing a boat that they can use.
Taimalelagi says because of the equipment used, the search requires a special kind of boat.
She said the company in Oregon has also been in contact with her office and once a vessel has been arranged, they hope to come down to mount the underwater search.
Taimalelagi said she ‘s hoping that the company will be able to work with local counterparts in the private sector.
The body of Haris Suleman, the 17-year-old pilot who was attempting to fly around the world in the shortest time was found, however his father’s body was never recovered.
NTSB Identification: WPR14LA309
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, July 22, 2014 in Pago Pago, AS
Aircraft: BEECH A36, registration: N20TC
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 22, 2014, about 2158 local standard time (0858 Universal Coordinated Time, July 23), a Beech BE A36, N20TC, crashed into the water after departure from Tafuna/Pago Pago International Airport (PPG), Pago Pago, American Samoa. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and the pilot's private pilot rated father sustained fatal injuries. Only remnants of the airplane have been recovered. The cross-country personal flight was departing en route nonstop to Honolulu (PHNL), Hawaii. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had been filed.
One ground crewman and his wife met the pilot and his father at the airport to support the departure, and observed the pilot completing preflight checks. The ground crewman queried if they were going to depart, and the father replied yes noting that the weather was great. The ground crewman stated that the wind had been gusty and strong all day and evening. He observed the airplane taxi for departure, and repositioned himself so that he could observe the whole runway for the takeoff.
As the airplane moved down the runway, the ground crewman noted that the wind was very strong. The airplane became airborne, but it was moving up and down and side to side; it also was not gaining altitude. At this point, the airplane had passed the very high frequency omni-directional radio range, tactical air navigation (VORTAC), but was still very low. Before the airplane reached the end of the runway, it banked to the right towards the ocean. Over the next few seconds, the airplane kept getting lower, and then disappeared. He did not observe it contact the water; he only saw the lights getting lower and lower. He observed no explosion, and heard no noise.
The ground crewman stated that he contacted the airport duty supervisor to determine if there had been any contact with the airplane. The supervisor responded that he was waiting for a call from the pilot after the takeoff, and the ground crewman reported that he thought it went into the ocean.
Another witness was a couple of miles away sitting on a seawall facing the airport. He reported that the engine was loud as the airplane was taking off. He reported that it was unusual that the airplane did not immediately gain altitude. He stated that a few seconds after takeoff, the airplane suddenly went nose down into the water.
The American Samoa Department of Public Safety located the pilot's body at 0040; it was strapped to a seat cushion. They reported burn marks on the body, and a strong odor of gasoline. They recovered a life raft, a survival suit and clothing, a fuselage piece, a duffel bag, and two gumby suits along with other debris.
A pilot who was very experienced in transoceanic flights had been in contact with the pilot's father for several months during the planning of the trip, as well as during the trip. On the day of departure, the father indicated that the airplane had 249 gallons of fuel on board, and anticipated a 2300 departure time so that he and his son could land in Hawaii during daylight hours. He had purchased two life vests for them to wear instead of the gumby suits. He indicated that they planned to take off with 10 degrees of flaps, accelerate in ground effect, start a slow climb to 200 feet, retract the landing gear, climb to 500 feet and retract the flaps, and then climb to 5,000 feet and level out. Once the power and fuel settings were established for cruise, they would initiate a shallow climb to 7,000 feet, maintain that for 2-3 hours, and then establish a shallow climb to 9,000 feet.
AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE 2 PERSONS ON BOARD, 1 WAS FATALLY INJURED, 1 PRESUMED FATAL, PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA
Flight Standards District Office: FAA Honolulu FSDO-13
CYRUS AIR LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N20TC
http://flyaroundtheworldin30days.com
PLAINFIELD, Ind. - Friends held a special tribute Tuesday night for a teen pilot from Plainfield, who was killed in a crash with his father last month.
Soccer teammates of Haris Suleman honored him at their first home game of the season. His number 14 was everywhere - on teammates' cleats, on their shirts, on their wristbands and in their hearts.
The team is struggling with the loss.
"I'm definitely sad that I lost such a good friend and teammate," said Plainfield junior Ali Ahmed. “This entire season we're going to be playing extra hard for him."
Their mantra is to play and "Live Like Haris."
"They lost a friend. More than anything, that's what it is," said Plainfield soccer coach David Knueve. "This is an opportunity to remember their friend, honor his spirit and kind of come together as a community, to remember the good things about Haris."
Haris Suleman was the adventurous teenaged pilot who, with his father Babar, attempted to fly around the world in 30 days. Their plane went down just shy of that goal off the coast of American Samoa.
On Tuesday, Haris' teammates wore t-shirts with "14" and "Suleman" on the back, which they designed themselves. They sold more than 300 of the shirts, raising nearly $1,500 dollars for the charity Haris and his father were flying for - "Seeds of Learning" and "The Citizens Foundation."
That money will help build schools in Pakistan.
At the first home game for the Quakers, his team also held a special pre-game tribute.
"He was just a fun person to be around on the field. He was our captain," Ahmed said.
"Tonight is kind of a celebration of his memory," Knueve added.
Number 14 has been retired for the season by not only Plainfield, but also Cardinal Ritter, their opponent Tuesday night.
Ahmed delivered a message to the crowd through the loudspeaker, asking them to chase their dreams, just like Haris.
"That number 14 represents just a little more than a number, but a student, athlete, sibling and son," he said. "As we play the sport we love, I challenge you all to go and live like Haris."
Teammates released balloons at midfield in his honor and held a moment of silence to pray for his family. Then they got out there and did what they say Haris would want them to do - play on.
Their message and motivation served as an inspiration to Haris Suleman's family, who attended the game.
"I'm very proud of these kids. Obviously, they remind me very much of my younger brother," said Cyrus Suleman. "To see them commemorate my brother in such a way was truly touching and very thoughtful of them."
Cyrus Suleman said the team helped to preserve a legacy on and off the field of a young man teammates say they could feel out there - a friend they'll never forget.
- Source: http://www.wthr.com
KARACHI: Teenage pilot Haris Suleman, who was flying around the world in a bid to raise money for underprivileged students, has been conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award by President Mamnoon Hussain.
A list issued by the government on the occasion of Independence Day mentions the name of late Haris Suleman as a recipient of the third-highest civil award in Pakistan. The list says that the award will posthumously be conferred upon him in a ceremony on Pakistan Day next year.
Seventeen-year-old US born Pakistani, Haris, died in a plane crash on July 22 when his single-engine aircraft crashed into the sea after taking off from the American Samoa Islands. Babar, his father, who was accompanying him, is still missing. The son-father duo, that was raising money for the education of Pakistani underprivileged students, was attempting to fly around the world in 30 days.
A high school student in Indiana, US, Haris and his father were collecting donations for The Citizens Foundation (TCF). According to the organization, the duo had already been able to raise over one million dollars before they met their tragic fate.
An uncle of Haris, Air Vice Marshal (retd) Abid Rao told The Express Tribune that the civil award was an honour for the whole family. “We are honored as this is a timely recognition. Haris was committed and undertook a dangerous journey flying over the ocean. His friends and others have vowed to carry on his mission and contribute to the TCF cause.”
Rao, however, said that Haris’s father, Babar, too should have been given some form of recognition as he was the one who had motivated his son to take up the cause.
The relative said that though Babar and the main wreckage were still missing, they had lost all hope of finding him alive.
A spokesperson for the TCF said that they were proud to be associated with Haris and his family. He added said that the duo’s inspiring journey for the education of Pakistani children would always be remembered.
-Source: http://tribune.com.pk
http://flyaroundtheworldin30days.com
Seventeen-year-old US born Pakistani, Haris, died in a plane crash on July 22 when his single-engine aircraft crashed into the sea after taking off from the American Samoa Islands. PHOTO: AFP
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