Indiana teen aiming to be the youngest pilot to fly around the globe dies in crash over the Pacific - as crews search for his co-pilot father

The body of Haris Suleman, 17, has been recovered off Pago Pago

The teen was attempting to be the youngest pilot to circumnavigate the globe in a single engine aircraft with father Babar alongside him



Babar's body and the plane's wreckage is yet to be recovered after the crash which took place on Tuesday night



The plane went down a mile after take-off from the island airport



The father-son duo were raising money for Citizens Foundation, a charity educating Pakistan's poorest children



Babar has more than ten years flying experience and said his son joined him on flights from age eight before they departed



Haris, a Plainfield High School rising senior, excitedly shared news of their journey on his blog and Twitter

His final heartbreaking tweet revealed how much he loved the American Samoan island of Pago Pago and included a picture of an idyllic sunset

An Indiana teenager has been killed and his father is feared dead after their plane crashed while they were trying to set a record for an around-the-world flight.

Family spokeswoman Annie Hayat said Wednesday that the plane flown by 17-year-old Haris Suleman went down shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa.



Suleman and his father, Babar Suleman, were on board. Hayat says the body of Haris Suleman has been recovered but crews are still looking for his father and the plane's wreckage.

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Tragic end: Haris Suleman's plane went down shortly after leaving Pago Pago in American Samoa. Suleman and his father, Babar, were on board, pictured together here

Flight path: The father-son duo were due to complete their journey on Sunday. Pago Pago was their last scheduled stop before Hawaii and their final journey home to Indiana

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said the Hawker Beechcraft plane crashed into the ocean Tuesday night around 6.30pm PDT under unknown circumstances.

Haris' sister, Hiba thanked supporters on Facebook and said the family were still waiting for news on her father.

'I'd like to thank everyone for their support of my father and brother throughout this trip, as well as for the support given to my mom, brother and myself as we waited for their safe return,' She wrote.



'Haris and my dad's plane went down upon take off in American Samoa. Haris has been found - he did not make it. My father has not yet been found. Please pray that my dad is found alive and well. Also, hug your siblings and parents - tell them you love them, a hundred times. A thousand times.'

Haris’s uncle is an Air Vice Marshal in Pakistan.



He confirmed the crash to The Express Tribune.



‘We are very sad. It was the last leg of their trip, a journey of 13-14 hours, Abid Rao said.



'But their plane crashed within two minutes after they took off.’



The two left Indiana on June 19 in the hopes of breaking a world record and raising money for a non-profit organization that builds schools for the poor in Pakistan.



They planned to return home Sunday which would have put them five days behind schedule for their aimed time of 30-days but still in the running to set a Guinness World Record for the youngest pilot to complete a circumnavigation in a single engine aircraft.

The pair were documenting their journey on social media and the 17-year-old posted a series of tragic tweets hours before his death.



'Pago Pago is without a doubt [in the] top 5 places I've been this summer,' Haris wrote on Tuesday after posting a photo of the island's sunset captioned: 'The beauty of Pago Pago'.

The account documented the pair's journey across the globe alongside a blog which included a GPS map tracking their journey.

Shared journey: Haris Suleman shared every stage of his journey online including photographs from his plane's window including a shot of his final sunset on Pago Pago, pictured left, and the view of the ocean, pictured right

Prepared: The father and son duo posed for pictures in their emergency gear and were well prepared for the journey - but it sadly wasn't enough to save them from their tragic crash

Charity mission: Haris had been flying with his father since he was eight years old. The pair were hoping to raise money for Pakistan educational charity TCF

Haris had been flying with his father since he was eight years old.

The father and son duo spoke to MailOnline before setting off on their journey.



'I am really looking forward to getting going,' the junior at Plainfield High School said.



'I only just got my license but I can’t imagine a better way to spend my summer.'



'He will be the pilot in command,' added Babar.



'I will only take over the controls in an emergency situation. If all goes well, my son will be going back to school for his senior year with some tall tales to tell.



'He has been flying with me since he was 8-years-old. He couldn’t see above the windshield in those days but he would keep the three instruments in line.'

Love of flying: Both father and son had a passion for planes and flying with Haris joining Babar on his many journeys

Thankful: Haris' sister took to Facebook to thank supporters for their kind words as she shared the sad news of his death. Here Haris Suleman is seen hugging his mother goodbye before taking off from Greenwood, Indiana, on June 19

Team: Haris and Babar Suleman were dedicated to raising money for Pakistan charity TCF which helps educate the country's poorest children

The pair were leaving the American Samoa island for Hawaii which was due to be their next stop.



Haris' tweets suggest the pair were re-routed as they discovered there was no fuel in their next scheduled stop of Kiritimati, also known as Christmas Island.



Instead they were preparing for a long flight path from Pago Pago direct to Hawaii.



Rescuers are still searching for Babar's body but fear he will have perished in the impact like his son.

He is himself an experienced flyer and survived an emergency landing after his plane developed engine trouble during a flight in 2008.

The pair were dedicated to raising money for Pakistan charity the Citizens Foundation.



The non-profit raises much needed funds to help educate Pakistan’s poorest of the poor and build schools to teach children living in some of the world’s worst slums.

Posing alongside their plane on their GoFundMe page they appealed for support.

In a statement the charity said: 'It is with great sadness that we can confirm that a Beechcraft aircraft flown by Babar Suleman and his son Haris, from Plainfield, Indiana, has crashed into the ocean near American Samoa. They were on the final leg of an inspiring journey around the world in 30 days to raise funds for The Citizens Foundation. Their goal was to raise $1 million and two donors had already offered to give enough money to build two schools.'



The family are originally from Pakistan but emigrated to America in the eighties, they had visited relatives in the country on their round-the-globe trip.



On Sunday the teen was interviewed by the Indianapolis Star and spoke of the moving lessons he had learned from the different cultures the pair had encountered on their journey.



Last days: Babar and Haris Suleman shared images of the final stops on their record-breaking attempt before tragedy struck

'Beauty and culture': The 17-year-old shared photographs on Twitter and his blog during the round the world trip

Favorite stop: Haris wrote about Egypt and said it was his favorite stop on the journey. 'Egypt was the best because of the history', he wrote.

'There is so much beauty and culture in each country that I couldn't possibly witness all that I want to in the span of two days,' he said.



'Egypt was by far the best because of the history,' Suleman said. 'I loved the pyramids and the Sphinx.'



Last September, Australian teenager Ryan Campbell, 19, became the youngest person to fly a single-engine aircraft solo around the world, pipping the Guinness World Record set by 21-year-old Jack Wiegand three months earlier.



Their journeys took 70 days and 58 days respectively.



Haris was in a different category as he was with his father - rather than alone. His young age would have set its own record though as well as the 30 day target the pair were aiming to hit.



His school paid tribute to his ambition and 'adventurous spirit' in a statement released to Fox 59.



“Plainfield Community School Corporation is deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our students. Seventeen-year-old Haris Suleman completed his junior year in May and left Plainfield only days later in an attempt to fly around the world with his father.



'Haris’s adventurous spirit and huge heart led him to reaching for this personal goal while also seeking to raise funds and awareness for schools supported by The Citizens Foundation, a non-profit organization headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. '

