Search continues for 58-year-old Pakistani-born Babar Suleman, who was travelling with his son
The United States Coast Guard has found the wreckage of the airplane piloted by a teenager Pakistani who was killed when the plane crashed during an around-the-world flight.
According to US Coast Guard spokesman Gene Maestas, a pilot spotted sections of the plane’s fuselage and other aircraft components on Wednesday night in a remote section of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of American Samoa. Ships later recovered some of the debris.
The body of 17-year-old Pakistani-American Haris Suleman was found shortly after Tuesday’s crash. Crews are still searching for 58-year-old Pakistani-born Babar Suleman, who was traveling with his son, Maestas said.
Haris had hoped to set the record for the fastest circumnavigation around the world in a single-engine airplane with the youngest pilot in command. His journey was also a fundraiser to help build schools in Pakistan.
The father-son duo left home on June 19 and was expected to arrive back on the US mainland on Saturday.
Family spokeswoman Annie Hayat said the Suleman family “keeps asking for prayers for the safe return of Babar Suleman.”
Family and friends defended the father-son team and their mission, saying they knew the dangers, adding that Babar had long dreamed of flying around the world.
Family friend Azher Khan said Haris’s brother was scheduled to arrive in American Samoa on Friday.
