Kisbey, Canada: Two licensed student pilots were killed when a Cessna 172 registered to Manitoba-based flight school Harv’s Air crashed near Kisbey, Saskatchewan, during a night cross-country flight from Regina to Steinbach, Manitoba, via Carlyle, Saskatchewan, on 18 September 2026. The aircraft was reported overdue and was located by search-and-rescue crews later that evening, with both occupants found dead at the scene.
According to Harv’s Air president Adam Penner, both people aboard were licensed pilots who had rented the aircraft to build flying hours toward their commercial pilot licences.
The Consulate General of India in Vancouver expressed condolences over the deaths of Manoj Sivakumar and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham, identifying them as Indian students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry who died in the air accident in Canada during flight training. The Consulate said it stands ready to provide all possible consular assistance to their families, including support for the repatriation of their mortal remains to India.
The aircraft was reported overdue to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) at about 10:30 a.m. CDT on 18 September. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Trenton coordinated the search, with a CC-138 Hercules from 435 Squadron locating the crash site. Search-and-rescue technicians then parachuted into the area. The aircraft was located at approximately 6 p.m. CDT, according to Harv’s Air, and both occupants were found dead.
Lieutenant Zoë Hollander, a public affairs officer with JRCC Trenton, said: “A CC 138 Hercules from 435 squadron successfully located the crash site, and then inserted search and rescue technicians by parachute.” She said the JRCC transferred the case to the RCMP after the search-and-rescue operation was completed.
Harv’s Air president Adam Penner said: “The entire Harv’s Air family is shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Both pilots had close ties to their fellow students and instructors. We extend our deepest condolences to family and friends.” He added that “Harv’s Air is working closely with the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, and the RCMP to investigate the cause.”
The TSB deployed investigators to the crash site on 19 September, 2026. The agency later confirmed that the aircraft experienced a post-impact fire. As of 21 September, authorities had not publicly established what caused the crash. The TSB was expected to issue a preliminary summary later in the week.
The crash occurred in southeastern Saskatchewan near Kisbey, north of Estevan and near Moose Mountain Provincial Park. A local witness, Chenoa MacArthur, described seeing aircraft involved in the search operation and observing parachutes and orange smoke near the area where the aircraft was located. Her account concerns the subsequent search operation and does not establish the cause of the crash.
The investigation by the TSB, with involvement from Transport Canada and the RCMP, remains ongoing.
Earlier, on 8 July 2025, two student pilots were killed when a Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 operated by Harv’s Air collided mid-air during circuit training near Steinbach South Airport in Manitoba, Canada. The aircraft were conducting takeoff-and-landing exercises when they collided about 400 metres from the runway. The victims were 20-year-old Savanna May Royes of Manitoba and 23-year-old Sreehari Sukesh of Kerala, India.
