Crash of Türkiye's AT802 Firefighting Aircraft (2025)

The AT802 type fire suppression aircraft owned by the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye crashed on 13 November 2025 during scheduled maintenance activities in Croatia, resulting in the martyrdom of the assigned pilot Hasan Bahar. The accident occurred near the town of Senj in Croatia.

Flight and Accident Information

According to the ministry’s statement, the two AT802 fire suppression aircraft in the OGM inventory took off from Çanakkale on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 10:24 for scheduled maintenance. Due to meteorological conditions, the aircraft spent the night at Rijeka Airport in Croatia. On Thursday 13 November 2025 at 17:38 TRT, the aircraft took off toward Zagreb Airport but, due to adverse weather conditions, decided to return to Rijeka. During the return flight, one aircraft landed at Rijeka while contact with the other was lost at 18:25.

The ministry’s statement indicated that all communication channels were activated to continue search operations and that the public would be kept informed of developments. The statement added: “Coordinated search and rescue operations have been initiated with Croatian authorities to locate our pilot and aircraft. Further details will be communicated to the public once they are confirmed.”

In an announcement made on the evening of 13 November 2025 by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, it was confirmed that the wreckage of the aircraft with lost radio contact had been located. Yumaklı stated that the aircraft was found near the town of Senj in Croatia. In a social media post, Minister Yumaklı said: “The wreckage of our OGM fire suppression aircraft, which lost radio contact in Croatia, has been located near the town of Senj in Croatia.”

The pilot of the aircraft was martyred in the accident. In his statement, Minister Yumaklı said: “I pray to Allah for mercy for our pilot who was martyred in this incident and offer condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Pilot’s Identity and Funeral Process

The identity of the martyred pilot has been confirmed as Hasan Bahar. The news of his martyrdom was delivered to his family at their home in Avcılar, Istanbul, by Avcılar District Governor Orhan Burhan and Istanbul Regional Director of Forestry Zafer Derince.

The body of Pilot Bahar was brought to the General Aviation Terminal of Istanbul Atatürk Airport on the night of 18 November 2025 via a special aircraft operated by the Ministry of Health.

Funeral Ceremony in Istanbul

The pilot Hasan Bahar, martyred in the aircraft crash in Croatia, was laid to rest on 18 November 2025 during a ceremony held in Istanbul. A funeral service was held at Avcılar Central Grand Mosque after the noon prayer.

The body, wrapped in the Turkish flag, was carried into the mosque by the funeral procession team, while his family and relatives received condolences at the head of the coffin. The funeral ceremony was attended by Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, AK Party Deputy Chairman Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, AK Party Member of Parliament for Istanbul Süleyman Soylu, AK Party Istanbul Provincial Chairman Abdullah Özdemir, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, and Istanbul Police Chief Selami Yıldız, along with personnel from the General Directorate of Forestry and members of the public.

After the funeral prayers were performed by Deputy Istanbul Mufti Mehmet Aksoy, the body of martyred pilot Hasan Bahar was transferred by the funeral procession team to a hearse and buried with prayers at Edirnekapı Martyrs’ Cemetery.

Technical Details of the Aircraft and Ministry Statement

According to the technical statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the aircraft involved in the crash was manufactured in 2023 by the US-based company Air Tractor. The aircraft is a single-pilot amphibious model capable of picking up and releasing up to three tons of water from seas, lakes, reservoirs, or dams.

This aircraft is one of the first to be added to the General Directorate of Forestry inventory under a project launched in 2023 to procure 20 small amphibious fire-fighting aircraft. To date, 12 aircraft of similar type have been incorporated into the inventory.

The Ministry has stated that the aircraft’s engineering design is suitable for single-pilot operations, with only training models produced as twin-seat variants, and that five of the existing 12 aircraft are twin-cockpit training versions.

Technical Details of the Aircraft and Weather Conditions

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, on November 13, during the incident, the aircraft were forced to enter clouds at an altitude of 5,000 feet near Rijeka Airport. While one aircraft exited the cloud, contact was lost with the other.

The statement noted that the flight plan had been confirmed by the pilots as suitable given the weather conditions at the time of departure, but that visibility conditions deteriorated unexpectedly during the approach to Zagreb Airport. As a result, the aircraft decided to return, and during the return flight, weather conditions worsened further; it was during the descent technique applied over the clouds that the accident occurred.

The reason for conducting maintenance in Croatia was explained as the nearest authorized facility to Türkiye, as directed by the manufacturer, where a specialized maintenance procedure would be applied. The aircraft had been on fire-fighting duty in Çanakkale between May 1 and November 12, 2025, and was sent for maintenance after the end of the fire season.

Congratulations and Condolences from the Presidency and the Grand National Assembly

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a post on his social media account, said: “This evening we learned with sorrow that a fire-fighting aircraft belonging to our General Directorate of Forestry has unfortunately crashed in Croatia. We deeply mourn the loss of one of our pilots who became a martyr, and we pray to Allah for mercy upon our martyr, and extend our condolences to his family, our country, and our nation.”

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş stated: “I extend my condolences to the family, relatives, the forestry organization, and our esteemed nation following the tragic crash of our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s fire-fighting aircraft in Croatia, which resulted in the martyrdom of our pilot. May Allah grant our martyr a place in paradise.”

President’s Deputy Cevdet Yılmaz, noting that the pilot lost his life during a scheduled maintenance operation, shared the message: “I learned with deep sorrow that our General Directorate of Forestry’s fire-fighting aircraft, while in Croatia for a scheduled maintenance operation, crashed due to an unforeseen accident, resulting in the martyrdom of one of our pilots. We pray to Allah for mercy upon our martyr, and extend patience and condolences to his family, our forestry organization, and our esteemed nation.”

Statements and Condolences from Ministers

Ministers of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, National Education Yusuf Tekin, Trade Ömer Bolat, Transportation and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and Health Kemal Memişoğlu each issued separate condolences. In their statements, the ministers confirmed that the pilot had lost his life while on duty and conveyed their sympathies to his family, relatives, and the General Directorate of Forestry.