An Indiana teenager, who was returning home after attempting an around-the-world flight, and his father died in a plane crash on Tuesday night.
The plane took off from Pago Pago in American Samoa and crashed into the Pacific Ocean not long ago. While 17-year-old Haris Suleman's body has been recovered, his father Babar Suleman's body was still missing, The Associated Press reports.
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said that they were investigating the reason why the single-engine Hawker Beechcraft aircraft plunged into the ocean the same night it took off.
Suleman's sister Hiba said that both her father and brother had been excited about the trip and both had been trained on landing a plane in the ocean. "We believed in it and we knew there was a risk but you can never expect something like this to happen," she said.
According to NBC Chicago, the teen had earned both his pilot's license and instrument rating, which allowed him to fly over oceans. He was set to pilot the plane except in case of an emergency.
The teen and his father, who were trying to raise money for the nonprofit organization Citizens Foundation, were unable to set the record in under 30 days and were returning home.
They set off on June 19, but were hindered on their journey after suffering from a food-borne illness.