04.07.2025 17:42
The pilot Mehmet Demirci, who was preparing to embark on a world tour, was laid to rest after losing his life in a plane crash in the Kaçkar Mountains. During the funeral ceremony, Demirci's relatives and children were overcome with tears. His son, who prayed for a long time at his father's coffin, occasionally fainted.
```html
Retired electrical engineer and amateur pilot Mehmet Demirci (57), who was passionate about civil aviation, was flying his M20J single-engine aircraft when it crashed near the Kaçkar Mountains on the Rize-Erzurum border after taking off from Sivrihisar, Eskişehir, around 18:00 on Wednesday, July 2. Demirci lost his life in the aircraft, which he was preparing to take on a world tour, while Hicran Kaya, who was a passenger on the plane, survived with injuries.
HE WAS FAREWELLED ON HIS LAST JOURNEY
A funeral ceremony was held for Demirci at the Has Erenler Mosque in Kadıköy. His daughter Ece Demirci, son Ege Demirci, ex-wife Serap Kale, son-in-law, sister, nephews, relatives, colleagues, and school friends attended the funeral prayer held after the noon prayer.
HIS SON FAINTED
During the funeral ceremony, the relatives and children of Pilot Mehmet Demirci could not hold back their tears. His son, who prayed for a long time at his father's coffin, fainted from time to time. After the funeral prayer, Demirci's body was taken to Pendik Osmangazi Cemetery for burial.
"IT WAS A CHILDHOOD DREAM TO GO ON A WORLD TOUR"
Demirci's friend İsmail Şentürk stated in a statement that his acquaintance with Demirci dates back to their university years. He mentioned that they had family ties and that their children grew up together, saying, "It was a childhood dream to go on a world tour. He had been planning for this tour for a year."
Şentürk mentioned that he spoke with Demirci on the morning before he set off, and he had given him a link to track the plane. He noted that he saw the plane he was tracking near Rize, where it would stay for the night, and thought there was no problem, but received the bad news later that evening from a friend. Şentürk expressed that Demirci planned to start his world tour from Turkey, departing from Sivrihisar, staying overnight in Rize, and then, depending on the weather conditions, traveling to Georgia, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Europe, and returning to Turkey the next day.
HE WANTED TO LEAVE A MARK ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THK
Şentürk stated that the reason Demirci wanted to fulfill his childhood dream this year was to leave a mark on the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK).
```