The chief financial officer of Flair Airlines, Sumanth Rao, is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the US linked to a fatal car crash involving teens who had allegedly been drinking at his home.
According to a news release from the district attorney for DeKalb County in Georgia, Rao’s teen daughter and two of her friends were sharing a bottle of wine at the family’s home on the evening of February 23, 2024. The teens were all under 21, which is the legal drinking age in the US.
According to police, the friends were drinking in plain view of Rao and his wife, Anindita.
Around 11:45 pm that evening, police said the teens informed Rao they wanted to go for a drive.
“The girls were allowed to leave and took an open bottle of wine with them into the vehicle,” stated the district attorney’s news release.
Around 12:11 am on February 24, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding a single-vehicle crash. Officers found a blue Mazda CX-5 flipped upside down in the roadway when they arrived on scene.
Police stated the occupants of the vehicle were Rao’s daughter and her two friends.
The daughter and the 18-year-old driver survived the crash and were able to crawl out of the vehicle.
The third occupant was trapped in the passenger seat. First responders were able to extract her from the front seat, and she was rushed to hospital, where she later died of her injuries.
Police said data from the car’s airbag control showed that the driver was going over 60 miles per hour over the speed limit and hit 98 “just one second before the crash,” and she failed to tap the brakes.
Investigators administered a portable breath test and blood test and said the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.046. This is twice the legal limit for an individual under 21, stated the news release.
District Attorney Sherry Boston confirmed that a Grand Jury indicted the teen driver of the vehicle, Rao, and his wife.
Rao and Anindita face charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, and maintaining a disorderly house.
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In a statement to Daily Hive, a Flair spokesperson acknowledged the company is “aware of the situation extend our heartfelt thoughts to all who are impacted while respecting their privacy.”
“Measures are in place to ensure operational continuity as we continue to assess the situation. Out of respect for those involved, we will not be sharing further details,” concluded the representative.
According to the District Attorney’s office, officials also learned that the parents “knowingly” allowed the teens to drink in their home on several other occasions.
“This crash was a foreseeable consequence of allowing underage drinking in their home and worse—allowing someone who they knew had consumed alcohol—to drive,” stated Boston.
Rao, 50, was appointed as the Edmonton-based airline’s CFO in August 2024. According to a previous news release from Flair, Rao joined the company after a 16-year career at Delta Airlines.