Autopsy on downed jet’s pilots reveals cause of death
MALATYA
Bodies of the pilots were brought into the Coroner in Malatya for autopsy. DHA photo
The Turkish pilots of the downed jet were killed by forceful trauma experienced at the end of the crash, autopsies conducted on the bodies revealed.The pilots’ remained alive after the fighter jet was hit by Syrian forces but died when the downed plane hit the water, daily Hürriyet reported.
Autopsies for each of the pilots lasted about four hours and ended in the late hours of the night.
Both pilots were found without their boots or helmets, which had been found days earlier by rescue teams in a different location from that of the bodies.
Capt. Gökhan Ertan and Maj. Lt. Hasan Hüseyin Aksoy were in command of the RF4-E reconnaissance jet when it was shot down by Syria 13 nautical miles off the Syrian coast in international airspace.
In Malatya, a large ceremony will be held for Capt. Gökhan Ertan and Maj. Lt. Hasan Hüseyin Aksoy with the participation of the foreign and defense ministers, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel and force commanders. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also cut short a holiday in order to attend the ceremony.
