Teen dies in plane crash; was seeking world record

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 17-year-old pilot died in a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday as he attempted to set a round-the-world flying record with his father.

Haris Suleman and his 58-year-old father, Babar Suleman, were on board when the single-engine plane went down shortly after taking off from Pago Pago in American Samoa. So far only the teen's body has been recovered.

The two were on a journey to make Haris Suleman the youngest-ever pilot to fly around the world in 30 days in a single-engine plane. The trip also raised money for a nonprofit that builds schools in Pakistan.

The father and son departed their home state of Indiana on June 19, missing the record. From Pago Pago, they planned to head to Honolulu before returning home Sunday.

Just hours before the crash, Haris Suleman tweeted a photo with the caption, "The beauty of Pago Pago."

Suleman's sister, Hiba, spoke about the crash at an afternoon news conference.

"They did prepare for the risk. They went to survival training, they took a course on how to survive an ocean landing or an ocean crash," she said. "But, you can plan all you want, but sometimes things don't go the way that you plan."

Hiba Suleman said the trip had been a dream of her father's for years and that her brother was also excited about it. Haris Suleman had recently obtained his pilot's license and instrument rating, which authorized him to fly an aircraft over oceans, and planned to be the pilot in command except in an emergency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.