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TSB Investigates Rare Mid-Air Collision That Killed Two Student Pilots in Manitoba

The Transportation Safety Board has launched a technical probe into the training flights after the collision.

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A third person has died after a crash on a Manitoba highway on Canada Day. Manitoba RCMP headquarters is shown in Winnipeg, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
Investigators at the scene of a crash involving two aircraft in Steinbach, Man., Tuesday July 8, 2025.
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Overview

  • The collision happened on July 8 around 8:45 a.m. near Steinbach South Airport during a landing-approach exercise involving a four-seater Cessna 172 and a two-seater Cessna 152.
  • The Transportation Safety Board has taken over the technical investigation into possible procedural or communication issues while the RCMP completes its fatality probe.
  • Authorities have confirmed the victims as 20-year-old Canadian Savanna May Royes and Indian student pilot Sreehari Sukesh, with the Indian consulate coordinating repatriation and family support.
  • Mid-air collisions account for fewer than 0.5 percent of Canadian aviation accidents, with only one prior incident recorded in Manitoba since 1990.
  • Harv’s Air, a family-run flight school that trains about 400 pilots annually, is under renewed scrutiny after an earlier nonfatal safety incident this year.