Four killed as ambulance helicopter crashes into hospital in Muğla
MUĞLA
A helicopter crashed into a hospital in the southwestern province of Muğla on Dec. 22 shortly after takeoff, resulting in the death of four people, including health care workers.
The helicopter, operated by the Health Ministry, took off from a nearby airstrip to receive a patient in Antalya.
Shortly after departure, it crashed into an upper floor of a research hospital. The area struck by the helicopter was a conference room, which was unoccupied at the time, preventing any casualties inside the hospital.
Taking off from a runway approximately 400 meters from the building, the helicopter crashed into the structure before plummeting into an open space, local media said.
Two pilots, a doctor and a health care worker were killed in the accident, the governor’s office announced.
The Health Ministry attributed the incident to thick fog, with other authorities confirming that the poor visibility caused by the fog significantly reduced the pilots’ ability to navigate safely, marking it as the primary cause of the collision.
While a detailed investigation is ongoing, local media outlets reported that the helicopter struggled during takeoff and swayed for a period before the pilots lost control.
The investigative teams, attempting to examine the wreckage, faced additional difficulties due to the persistent and heavy fog that had once again settled in.
Images shared by the local press showed shattered windows, damaged ceilings and piles of debris scattered across the floor where the accident occurred, further highlighting the severity of the crash.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya issued condolence messages, while Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç emphasized that a detailed investigation is underway regarding the incident.
The accident came weeks after six Turkish soldiers lost their lives when two helicopters collided during a training exercise in the southwestern province of Isparta on Dec. 9.
The UH-1 military helicopter, belonging to the army’s aviation school, plummeted near a fuel station in the district center of Keçiborlu, according to the authorities. Among the deceased were Brigadier General İsa Baydilli, along with two lieutenants and two sergeants.
In August, a training aircraft from a civilian flight school in Bursa also crashed, resulting in the deaths of a 61-year-old flight teacher and a 42-year-old student.
The accident occurred during a “touch and go” maneuver, shortly after the aircraft touched down on the runway before attempting to climb again.
