Limited visibility, radio communication among issues in deadly mid-air crash

AN investigative report into a mid-air plane crash that killed two student pilots in southeastern Manitoba cited concerns about radio communication, situational awareness and visual detection methods.

Two small planes collided twice and crashed into a field after one aircraft ended up flying above the other while both approached a runway at Steinbach South Airport the morning of July 8, 2025, a Transportation Safety Board report said Wednesday. The planes belonged to the Harv’s Air Service flight school.

“Once they’re on final (approach), the ability to see each other would have been very limited,” said Eric Vermette, a regional manager with the safety board in Winnipeg.

The pilots had been identified as Savanna Royes, 20, of Aurora, Ont., and Sreehari Sukesh, 23, of India.

Four planes were involved in circuit training — flying a racetrack pattern, essentially — to practise takeoffs and landings when the collision happened at about 8:40 a.m. The airport doesn’t have an air traffic control tower.

“The pilots are responsible for separation (between planes). They do this by doing radio calls and visual lookouts,” Vermette said. Federal guidance advises pilots to report their position and intentions during circuits.

The report said a Cessna 172R pilot announced via radio they were on their final approach to runway 36. The pilot was flying a longer circuit route to add space between their plane and traffic in front of them.

Eight seconds later, a Cessna 152 pilot announced via radio they were making a turn along the normal circuit route to begin their final approach to the runway. The planes were about 800 metres apart.