‘Heartbreaking’ mid-air crash leaves 2 student pilots dead near Steinbach in southern Manitoba

Two student pilots tragically lost their lives on Tuesday morning after their small planes collided in mid-air during a training exercise in southern Manitoba. The devastating incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. in the rural municipality of Hanover, southeast of Winnipeg, south of Steinbach, and west of Highway 12, according to the RCMP.

Adam Penner, the president of Harv’s Air flying school, expressed his grief over the crash, stating that the collision took place while the students were practicing takeoffs and landings. The bodies of the pilots were discovered in the wreckage of the single-engine planes, and there were no passengers onboard at the time of the collision.

Nathaniel Plett, a resident near the flight school, recounted hearing a loud bang followed by a pillar of black smoke rising from the crash site. The collision involved a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 152, with one pilot being in the early stages of training and the other nearing a commercial license. Both pilots were working towards obtaining their private and commercial licenses to pursue careers as airline pilots.

Harv’s Air, a renowned flight school established in the early 1970s, trains approximately 400 student pilots annually from Canada and around the world for both professional and recreational purposes. Mohamed Shahin, an instructor at Harv’s Air and a former student, expressed deep sadness over the loss of the students and extended condolences to their families.

The Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of investigators to the crash site to determine the cause of the collision. While the RCMP will continue to be involved in the investigation, the TSB will lead the probe into the tragic incident. The identities of the deceased pilots, including their ages and genders, have not been disclosed by the authorities as they work to notify the families.

As the community mourns the loss of the two student pilots, the aviation industry is reminded of the inherent risks associated with flight training and the importance of safety protocols to prevent such devastating accidents in the future. The Harv’s Air flying school and the entire aviation community are united in grief as they come to terms with this heartbreaking tragedy.