The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the father who was accompanying his teenage son on an around-the-world flight that was set to make history.
Babar Suleman, 58, went missing during a plane crash near Pago Pago, in American Samoa, on Tuesday night. The body of his son, 17-year-old pilot Haris Suleman, was recovered the next day.
Officials have found more debris from the plane but failed to locate Babar, who himself learned to fly in 2001.
"The decision to suspend a search and rescue case is one of the most difficult decisions I have to make," said Rear Admiral Cari Thomas, Commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. "I want to extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the Sulemans."
Haris Suleman, who just earned his pilot's license in June, was aiming to become the youngest pilot in command to circumnavigate the globe in 30 days with just one other person on board. He was also trying to raise money to build schools in his father’s native Pakistan. The Sulemans left Indianapolis on June 19, and were nearing the final leg of their trip.