Training plane crash kills pilot in İzmir
İZMİR
A training aircraft crashed into a cornfield in the western province of İzmir, killing a 31-year-old student pilot, local media has reported.
The Cessna-172, operated by the Turkish Aeronautical Association, took off from Selçuk Efes Airport for a routine training flight when it went down in the Kırbaş neighborhood for reasons yet unknown. Emergency teams rushed to the scene; however, the young woman lost her life.
İzmir Governor’s Office confirmed the victim as 1994-born pilot Berfu Hatipoğlu. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Türkiye has witnessed several training aircraft accidents in recent years. In 2024, a similar crash occurred in the northwestern province of Bursa when a training plane struck the apron at Yenişehir Airport, killing two pilots.
Preliminary reviews of airport surveillance showed the aircraft briefly touched down before taking off again, executed a sharp maneuver and then crashed, resulting in fatalities. Both judicial and administrative inquiries were opened at that time.
