Student Was Reportedly 'Distraught' Over Poor Performance At The Flight School

The crash of a Piper Seneca near the Pratt & Whitney plant in Hartford, CT appears to have been a suicide, according to federal officials.

The Hartford Courant reports that federal officials say that their investigation points to a suicide attempt on the part of the student pilot, who was flying the plane when it went down. They say there is no indication that the act was terrorism.

According to the report, the student, 28-year-old Feras M. Freitekh, was said to be "distraught and feeling stressed" over his poor performance at the flight school. A law enforcement source said that the student and the instructor, who survived the crash with severe burns, had argued before the flight. Another source said that the instructor tried to regain control of the aircraft before it impacted terrain.

Authorities searched Freitekh apartment and said they found nothing to indicate ties to any terrorist organization or activities. They were planning to inspect his computer and other electronic devices.

Questions remain, however. Freitekh used the name Rafael Majdi Freitekh on his Facebook page. Public records indicate that Freitekh listed his address as being Orland Hills, IL since 2015. However, he only received mail there. Investigators also checked into an apartment house where other American Flight Academy lived. Sources said that Freitekh was staying there, but did not indicate with whom he was staying. He had been there about five months, according to neighbors. He was described as nice, polite, and "always smiling" by a cousin in Amman, Jordan who was contacted through Facebook. The cousin, who did not want to be named, said that Freitekh’s dream was to be a pilot, and he had traveled to the U.S. to realize that dream. His Facebook page is full of photos showing his love of aviation.

The NTSB said that the FBI is currently the lead agency in the investigation

(Image from Facebook)

FMI: www.fbi.gov, www.ntsb.gov