Babar and Haris Suleman

Babar and Haris Suleman
Born(1958-12-27)December 27, 1958 in Pakistan (Babar Suleman)
(1996-10-03)October 3, 1996 in Plainfield, Indiana, United States (Haris Suleman)
DiedJuly 22, 2014(2014-07-22) (aged 55) (Babar Suleman)
July 22, 2014(2014-07-22) (aged 17) (Haris Suleman)
Pago Pago, American Samoa, United States
Burial placeMaple Hill Cemetery, Plainfield, Indiana (Haris Suleman)
OccupationAviators
Known forAttempted around-the-world flight
RelativesRao Qamar Suleman
AwardsSitara-i-Imtiaz (2015)

Babar Suleman (Urdu: بابر سلیمان; December 27, 1958 – July 22, 2014) and Haris Suleman (Urdu: حارث سلیمان; October 3, 1996 – July 22, 2014) were a Pakistani-American father-son pilot duo who were attempting to fly around the world in 30 days to promote education, when their single-engine plane crashed into the South Pacific Ocean near Pago Pago on 22 July 2014 on the final leg of their journey, killing Haris and leaving his father Babar, also on board, missing.[1]

Had Babar and Haris completed the trip, they would have set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world in a single-engine plane; Haris, at age 17, would have also become the youngest pilot to lead such a journey.[2] Haris' body was retrieved during a search-and-rescue effort, however Babar was never found. Their mission was highlighted in the media, and over $3.1 million worth of donations were raised for their charity project following their death.[3] In recognition of their work, Babar and Haris Suleman were posthumously conferred the Sitara-i-Imtiaz civil award by the government of Pakistan in 2015.[4]

  1. ^ "Pakistani-American Haris Suleman's aircraft crashes into sea". Dawn.Com. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  2. ^ ""While I was sharing those memories with others, at that time the accident had already happened"". Time. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  3. ^ "Teen Pilot and Dad Killed in Fatal Flight 'Inspire' Donors to Give $3.1M". NBC News. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference TNS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).