Türkiye confirms firefighting plane crash in Croatia, one pilot dead

The wreckage of a firefighting aircraft belonging to Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry, which went missing in Croatia, has been located, and the pilot has died, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed.

“The wreckage of our General Directorate of Forestry firefighting plane, which lost radio contact in Croatia, has been found near the city of Senj. I pray for Allah’s mercy on our pilot, who was martyred in this tragic accident, and extend my condolences and patience to his family and loved ones,” Yumakli wrote on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, as per Turkish media reports.

Earlier, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry reported that radio contact had been lost with the aircraft while it was in Croatia.

According to the ministry, “Two AT802 firefighting planes belonging to the General Directorate of Forestry departed from Çanakkale on Wednesday, November 12, at 10:24 a.m. local time for scheduled maintenance in Zagreb, Croatia. Due to weather conditions, both planes spent the night at Rijeka Airport in Croatia.

“On Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 17:38 Turkish time, the planes took off for Zagreb Airport but had to return to Rijeka Airport due to adverse weather. One plane landed safely at Rijeka Airport, while radio contact with the other was lost at 18:25,” the ministry stated on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also expressed his condolences on X, saying: “This evening, we received the news that a firefighting aircraft belonging to our General Directorate of Forestry unfortunately crashed in Croatia. We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident in which one of our pilots was martyred. I pray for God’s mercy upon our martyr and extend my condolences to his family, our country, and our nation.”

By Tamilla Hasanova