Turkish pilots killed in jet crash laid to rest

ESKİŞEHİR

AA Photo

Two Turkish pilots who were killed after their jet crashed in the Central Anatolian province of Konya during a training flight were laid to rest on March 6, following a military ceremony in Eskişehir.

The bodies of pilots, Mustafa Tanış, 34, and Mutafa Delikanlı, 33, were transferred to Eskişehir, where the military ceremony was held at the airbase where they were performing their duty. 

Chief of General Staff Necdet Özel, Air Force commanders, Eskişehir Governor Güngör Azim Tuna, Eskişehir Mayor Yılmaz Büyükşeren, and Combatant Air Unit and Missile Defense Commander Abidin Ünal attended the ceremony, along with pilots’ families.

Jet Airbase Commander Kemal Akçınar made a speech and the personal backgrounds of the pilots were read at the ceremony.

Delikanlı’s body was later sent to Istanbul and buried in the Edirnekapı Martyrs’ Cemetery after a religious ceremony.

Tanış was laid to rest in Ankara with a funeral prayer at the Kocatepe Mosque attended by ministers, commanders and lawmakers.

Responding to a question on the crashed F-4 fighter jets, Turkish Air Force Commander Akın Öztürk said a necessary statement would be made to public in due course.

Tanış and Delikanlı died after a Turkish Air Force F-4E crashed in Konya on the morning of March 5, less than one hour after taking off from the Eskişehir Airbase.

The reason of the crash remains unknown and an investigation has been launched into the accident.

The accident came after two F-4 jets crashed during a training exercise on Feb. 24 in the Eastern Anatolian province of Malatya, resulting in the death of four pilots on board.