Flight school students who died in crash were from India

Two pilots from a Manitoba flight school who died in a Regina plane crash Friday have been identified as students from India.

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver said the Harv’s Air Flight Training students were Manoj Sivakumar and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham.

“Our heartfelt sympathies are with their bereaved families and loved ones during this difficult time,” the consulate said a statement on social media.

Adam Penner, president of Harv’s Air, later also confirmed their identities.

“The entire Harv’s Air family is shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Both pilots had close ties to their fellow students and instructors. We extend our deepest condolences to family and friends,” Penner wrote in an emailed statement to the Free Press.

The pilots were aboard a Cessna 172, registered to the St. Andrews flight school, travelling from Regina to Steinbach on a night cross-country flight.

A search began when the aircraft did not arrive on schedule.

Both men were licensed pilots who rented the plane to gain flying hours toward their commercial pilot licences, media reports have said.

A C-130 Hercules from the Canadian Air Force’s 435 Squadron in Winnipeg found the wreckage Friday just before 6 p.m. in a rural area near Kisbey, Sask., 86 kilometres northeast of Estevan, close to Moose Mountain Provincial Park.

Search and rescue technicians parachuted to the scene, while RCMP reached the site by ATV, as it was not accessible by road.

Both occupants were found dead.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the cause of the crash.

“Harv’s Air is working closely with the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, and the RCMP to investigate the cause,” Penner said in his statement.

A preliminary report from TSB Canada is expected to be released later this week.

This is the third incident involving the flight school since January 2025.

In January 2025, a Harv’s Air instructor was struck by the propeller of a small aircraft while a student attempted to start an engine.

In July that year, two student pilots were killed when their single-engine planes collided mid-air during a training exercise. TSB Canada has yet to release its final report on that incident.

kelly.riess@freepress.mb.ca