FOUND WRECKAGE OF CZECH AIRCRAFT IN CROATIA: Two bodies found inside the aircraft!

Two people were killed in the crash of an ultralight aircraft that disappeared from radar over Velebit on Friday afternoon. The wreckage of the aircraft and the bodies of the victims were found at around 10 p.m. in a difficult-to-access area of Paklenica National Park.

Nearly 35 members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service were involved in the search. Petar Prpić from the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service described this morning for “Radio Sljeme’s” Jutarnja hronika what the operation looked like and the conditions the rescuers faced.

The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service team specializing in aircraft searches identified the possible location of the aircraft through analysis.

“Our rescuers reported via radio at around 10 p.m. that they had reached the location and found the remains of the ultralight aircraft and, unfortunately, two bodies were found inside the aircraft,” he said.

Reaching the wreckage through dense fog

Prpić did not want to speculate about the cause of the crash, but he described the weather conditions in which the rescuers conducted the search.

“What we can say for certain is that our rescuers faced poor weather conditions in the search area. There were strong winds, rain at certain moments, and very poor visibility,” he said.

Conditions at the exact location where the wreckage was found were particularly difficult.

“When they reached the location where they found the aircraft wreckage, visibility was only two meters due to the dense fog and all the other conditions I mentioned. The conditions for the search were by no means good,” Prpić said.

The storm also hit the rescuers themselves

“So, our rescuers were also hit by that storm. Some of the teams walked for several hours to reach the search location,” he said.

Following the discovery of the wreckage, further procedures will be carried out in coordination with the other competent authorities.

Signal lost near Zadar

As a reminder, Croatian air traffic control lost contact on Friday, August 21, at around 4:14 p.m. with the ultralight aircraft bearing registration D-KWZE, which was flying from the Czech Republic toward Zadar. The signal was lost approximately 17 nautical miles northeast of Zadar. Following the report, a major search and rescue operation was launched. The operations base was established at the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service station in Starigrad-Paklenica.

Members of the civil protection services from Zadar and Gospić, police, firefighters, and Croatian Mountain Rescue Service teams from Zadar and Gospić joined the search. The State Civil Protection Intervention Units from Split and Rijeka were also activated, with a command vehicle, drones and equipment for nighttime searches. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, it was not possible to search the area from the air.

The operation ended at around 10 p.m., when Croatian Mountain Rescue Service members found the remains of the aircraft in a difficult-to-access area near Strug. The bodies of two people were also found alongside the wreckage.

Police secured the scene, while the investigation will determine the circumstances and cause of the accident.

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