The plane belonged to the General Directorate of Forestry of Turkey and disappeared during a flight between Zagreb and Rejka airports. The wreckage of the aircraft was found near the town of Senj.
The pilot died as a result of the plane crash.
According to the ministry, two AT802 firefighting aircraft took off from Canakkale on November 12 for routine maintenance in Zagreb. Due to unfavorable weather, the planes spent the night at Reik Airport. The next day, November 13, both sides set off for Zagreb, but upon returning due to weather conditions, one ship landed successfully, and radio contact with the second was lost at 18.25 Turkish time.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the pilot's family on social media.
“We are deeply upset by this tragic accident in which one of our pilots died as a martyr,” Erdogan wrote.
Bu akşam Orman Genel Müdürlüğümüze ait bir yangın söndürme uçağının Hırvatistan'da maalesef düstüğü haberini aldık.
Bir pilotumuzun şehit olduğu bu elim kazadan derin bir üzüntü duyuyor; şehidimize Allah'tan rahmet, ailesine, ülkemize ve milletimize başsağlığı diliyorum.
— Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RTERdogan) November 13, 2025
