A training helicopter crashed in Ankara: the pilot was killed, and an Air Force officer was injured
A Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ)-owned R-44 training helicopter crashed in the Sinjan district of Ankara. The crash killed the flight instructor, retired Colonel Yasa Ozdin Bakkal, and injured Turkish Air Force Major Bilgehan Kurtoglu.
According to “European Truth,” citing Turkish Minute, the helicopter crashed in an open field at 10:02 a.m. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Bakkal was taken to the hospital but later died. Kurtoglu, who was undergoing pilot training, remains in the hospital.
Ambulance crews, firefighters, and security forces were dispatched to the crash site. The crash site has been cordoned off, and investigators have begun their examination. The Western Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office has launched a judicial investigation into the circumstances of the incident and assigned two prosecutors to the case under the supervision of the deputy chief prosecutor.
The prosecutor’s office has instructed aviation accident experts to prepare a report on the causes and circumstances of the incident. The governor’s office also reported that the relevant authorities are continuing their technical examinations.
