Ras Al Khaimah (TDI): A Pakistani pilot and her companion, 26-year-old Indian doctor Sulaymaan Al Majid, were killed after their small aircraft crashed off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday, December 26.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) confirmed the tragedy on Sunday, saying that investigations were underway to ascertain the cause of the crash, according to Khaleej Times.
Sulaymaan’s father, Majid Mukarram, told Khaleej Times that the incident occurred immediately after takeoff at 2 p.m. near the Cove Rotana Hotel, which is close to the beach. Sulaymaan, who was born and bred in the UAE, had leased the plane for sightseeing.
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His family, including his father, mother, and younger brother, gathered at the flying club to observe his flight. Sulaymaan’s younger sibling was due to board the next aircraft.
Initially, Majid was informed that the glider had lost radio communication. He was later told that the plane had made an emergency landing and that the passengers had been shifted to a hospital.
“When we reached the hospital, we were told that both were critically injured and undergoing resuscitation efforts,” Majid said. “Sulaymaan passed away before we could see him, and his time of death was recorded as past 4:30 pm.”
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Sulaymaan, a clinical fellow at the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust in the UK, was an active member of the British Medical Association. As Co-Chair of the Northern Resident Physicians Committee, he fought for wage restoration and the rebranding of “junior doctors” as “resident doctors.”
Sulaymaan, who graduated from the Dubai Scholars School, was well-known for his enthusiasm for health and campaigning. The GCAA confirmed receiving a report on the tragedy and is actively investigating, expressing its sympathies to the family of the deceased.
According to the GCAA, its Air Accident investigative Sector has received a report on the incident, and investigative teams and appropriate agencies are still working on it. The GCAA sent condolences to the victims’ families and relatives.
This disaster comes after another aviation tragedy in the UAE last month, in which a flight instructor died after a training aircraft lost radar contact 20 minutes after takeoff and crashed. The instructor’s body was later discovered on the coast of Fujairah.
