UpdateThe Dutch occupants of a sports plane that crashed in Croatia have died. The investigation at the scene of the accident has now been completed, but there are still many questions about the circumstances. The pilot was experienced. It’s a nightmare.”
The lessor of the aircraft, Chris van Eijk, knows the pilot himself. “He has been renting with us for a long time and already flew fifteen years ago. It is incomprehensible that this is happening, a nightmare.” The pilot was on an annual outing of aviators across Europe. The people he flew with contacted Van Eijk to tell the terrible news. “You can hardly imagine what that is like for them, and also for the families.”
Since the aircraft disappeared from the radar, around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, all those involved have followed the news about the investigation into the crash via Croatian media. But that one question – how could this happen? – is difficult to answer. Van Eijk: “We are all still in the dark, wondering how the hell this is possible.”
Investigators still don’t know why the plane went down. The plane crashed on Mount Kapeli in Lika-Senj province.
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After a major search through thick fog, with a helicopter and the deployment of 120 people with drones, quads and SUVs, the plane was located on Saturday evening. This was done thanks to searchers who were on foot, because the plane could not be seen from the air in the wooded area. The wreck appeared to have burned out. DNA testing must also be carried out to officially identify the occupants.
Nevertheless, thanks to data about the flight, it is clear that the three Dutch occupants did indeed board the plane and that there are no survivors. A black box explaining what happened to them cannot be consulted because it is not present in sport planes such as this one. In any case, the fact that the plane caught fire means that there was still fuel present, says research leader Danko Petrin in local media. The fact that the wreck has burned out also makes it more difficult to find out what happened.
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Winters and mines
In local media, Petrin previously said that in the area where the crash took place ‘the winter lingers longest’. “The terrain is difficult to access, the snow stays for a long time and there are also areas that are suspected of mines.” That made the police investigation that took place difficult.
The Rotterdam flying club with which the pilot outing was arranged did not want to respond to questions on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft, a Cirrus SR20, was en route from the Slovenian city of Maribor to the Croatian southern city of Pula. Landlord Van Eijk says it was well maintained. “That is very well organized in the Netherlands. An aircraft like this has to go to Groningen, where the dealer is located, for inspection after every fifty flying hours. All necessary checks and repairs are carried out there.”
Instructor David de Vries confirms the same. Currently, a Cirrus aircraft from his Rotterdam flight school is still in Pula. But he knows the crashed SR20 well, he used to fly it often. “Recently less so”, De Vries explains. “Because it is no longer the most modern. Although I don’t think it was the technique in this case.” According to him, the aircraft are ‘perfectly maintained’ with thorough and regular checks.
“So you can assume that there was nothing wrong with this. But then I’m speculating. We will have to await the investigation until we know for sure what happened.”
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Tags: Dutch people died plane crash Croatia Pilot experienced
