The body of Turkish pilot Hasan Bahar, who was killed in a firefighting plane crash in Croatia on Nov. 13, has been brought back to Türkiye.
Bahar died when an AT-802-type aircraft operated by Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry went down shortly after taking off from Rijeka Airport, crashing near the town of Senj.
Two AT-802 firefighting planes belonging to the directorate had departed from the northwestern province of Çanakkale on Nov. 12 for scheduled maintenance in Zagreb, Croatia. Due to weather conditions, both planes spent the night at Rejika Airport in Croatia.
The planes took off for Zagreb Airport the next day but began returning to Rejika Airport due to adverse weather conditions. During the return route, one plane landed safely at Rejika Airport, but radio contact was lost with the other.
Search and rescue operations yielded the wreckage of the firefighting plane, with the pilot confirmed dead.
Bahar’s body was transported to Istanbul on a special aircraft provided by the Health Ministry, landing at the Atatürk Airport General Aviation Terminal in the early hours.
A funeral ceremony took place on Nov. 18 at Avcılar Merkez Ulu Camii, following the noon prayer. Bahar was laid to rest at the Edirnekapı Martyrs’ Cemetery, where fallen public servants and military personnel are commemorated.
