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.
[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.
[9] After his graduation, the Sulemans settled in the New York metropolitan area and Babar worked in various jobs as a civil and construction engineer.
[9] In the early 1990s, they decided to move from the fast-paced life of New York and settled in the town of Plainfield, Indiana, where Babar took up a job with an energy company.
[9] Babar was well-known in the local community, partaking in multiple extracurricular activities and coaching the boys and girls' soccer teams at Plainfield High School.
[9] In early 2014, he expressed his interest to plan an around-the-world trip and began discussing the idea with other pilots, who encouraged him by mentioning how common such flights were.
He also decided to dedicate the trip toward the cause of education in Pakistan, pledging to fundraise $1 million by flying around the world in 30 days.
"[9] At age 17, Haris finished flight school and attained his private pilot's license, logging around 50 hours of flying time prior to their world tour.
[10][11][12][13] The Sulemans made pit stops in Iceland, London, Rome, Cairo and Al Ain, before landing in their native Pakistan, where they were given a warm reception and interviewed by local press.
[5] Soon after takeoff, witnesses present at the airport reported seeing the aircraft bear right and then suddenly descend into the ocean before disappearing, instead of gaining altitude.
[5] Following the crash, the US Coast Guard launched a search operation in the area and recovered Haris' body on 23 July at 12.40 am local time along with some debris.
[5] Their death was condoled by political leaders in Pakistan, including prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad[5] and former president Asif Ali Zardari, who paid tribute by comparing Haris' efforts for education in Pakistan with those of teenage activist Malala Yousafzai.