Two families and the aviation community are in mourning, after a tragic plane crash earlier this week.
At 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, emergency services were notified of the wreckage of two small, single-engine aircraft in the Rural Municipality of Hanover.
The mid-air collision happened while student pilots were practicing takeoffs and landings at Harv’s Air, resulting in the loss of both lives. The investigation remains ongoing.
In a post on X, the Consulate General of India in Toronto confirmed one of the victims was an international student from India.
With profound sorrow, we mourn the tragic passing of Mr. Sreehari Sukesh, a young Indian student pilot, who lost his life in a mid-air collision near Steinbach, Manitoba. We extend our deepest condolences to his family. The Consulate is in contact with the bereaved family, the…
— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) July 9, 2025
The second victim was 20-year-old Savanna May Royes from Aurora, Ontario. A GoFundMe page has been launched in her memory, where her partner’s mom shared touching details about Savanna’s life and spirit.
A mother’s perspective
Lisa Livingstone Clark, the mother of a 19-year-old student pilot at Harv’s Air, says the news has been devastating.
“It's quite shocking, I think not just for the community, but for all of Canada. As you start to see the articles coming out, I mean it's being covered in India of course, it has really shocked even much greater than the Steinbach community for sure.”
Her son Luca trains at Harv’s and often flies in the mornings. She received news of the crash from her cousin, who is a flight instructor at the Harv’s Air location in St. Andrews.
“It could not have been communicated to me in a better way,” Livingstone Clark says.
She recalls how her cousin gently checked in, asking if Luca was flying that morning.
“He's calling me super early in the morning very shortly after it happened. I thought, ‘Well, this is strange. Why is he calling me at this hour?’ And he just very casually asked, ‘Oh, is Luca flying today?’ He was very wise. He just wanted to feel it out because obviously that was his first thought.”
After checking her phone, she confirmed her son was safe at home.
“Then Ken told me what happened, and obviously you start shaking after. I'm so thankful that I knew my son was home and safe.”
She acknowledges how frightening it must have been for other parents who were unsure.
“If you're not sure (whether) your child is there when you hear about it, I can't imagine what that was like for other parents.”
Many people reached out to ask her about Luca. Livingstone Clark says it was an emotional time for everyone.
“There were a lot of people crying on the other end of the phone as they were calling... because I think everybody's thoughts go there, right? If you know someone who flies, you immediately go into terror mode, which is why I put a post on Facebook finally. We were just having so much concern and love as people were reaching out to check on him.”
She explains that the students were doing routine training, which adds to the shock.
“As you're further along in your training, you're just practicing your touchdowns and your take offs, and they have what's called a circuit. So, you'll have up to, my understanding is, four pilots running their circuits all day long. It's a very busy airport and everybody's calling out their locations all the time.”
She notes an investigation will look into where any miscommunication was.
Fears are overwhelming as “what ifs” sink in
While accidents like this are rare, Livingstone Clark says they remain a very real fear for every parent.
“I know something like this is exceedingly rare, but as a parent, that's your worst fear when your child starts flying. You look at the stats and you tell yourself, ‘No, it's safe, it's safe.' It's safer than driving a car. When this happens quite early in my son’s training, within the first year, it certainly makes your stomach drop.”
As both a mother and someone closely connected to the aviation world, she feels for those affected.
“I feel so devastated for all the other families, and I send my deepest condolences to them.”
The tragedy struck even closer to home when she learned one of the planes involved in the crash was the same one her son had flown just the day before.
“Obviously that felt very tender, very close to home because that was the actual plane Luca flew all day the day before.”
While she’s grateful her son is safe, her heart is with the grieving families.
“Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved,” she says.
With files from Corny Rempel