05.07.2025 12:32
Hicran Kaya, who was a passenger on the plane that crashed on the summit of the Kaçkar Mountains and was reached injured, recounted those moments to the teams. In response to Kaya's warning, "We are flying too low. We need to gain some altitude," the pilot said, "We'll get past this, it won't be a problem."
```html
Ali Yılmaz, a mountaineer in the 16-person team that participated in the search efforts for the single-engine plane that crashed in the Kaçkar Mountains, described the moment of the operation as he reached the crash site on foot with JAK teams. It was revealed that the injured passenger Hicran Kaya explained to the teams how the accident occurred.
The M20J type single-engine plane, piloted by retired electrical engineer and aviation enthusiast Mehmet Demirci, took off from Sivrihisar district of Eskişehir around 18:00 on Wednesday, July 2, and was heading towards Rize-Artvin Airport when it crashed near the Kaçkar Mountains on the Rize-Erzurum border. Demirci lost his life at the scene, while Hicran Kaya, who was a passenger on the plane, was injured. The 16-person group formed by the Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK), Kaçkar Mountaineering Rafting Ski Sports Specialization Club (KDRK), and İkizdere Search and Rescue (İDAK) teams managed to reach the plane wreckage after an 8-hour hike during the 12-hour search and rescue efforts. The teams found the injured Hicran Kaya and the lifeless body of amateur pilot Mehmet Demirci.
PICKED UP BY JAK TEAMS BY HELICOPTER The severely injured Hicran Kaya and the deceased pilot Mehmet Demirci's body were taken from the scene by the Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK) teams and transported by helicopter to Erzurum. Hicran Kaya, who was taken from the helicopter that arrived at Erzurum City Hospital's runway, was placed under treatment; the body of pilot Demirci was buried in Istanbul after the autopsy.
WALKED OUT FROM ANZER Meanwhile, new details about the search efforts have emerged. Hüsnü Kan, a mountaineer and member of KDRK, who led the 16-person group participating in the operations conducted on the Erzurum-Rize-Bayburt border, set out on foot from Anzer Plateau and reached the crash site 5 minutes before the JAK, İDAK, and KDRK members. Kan, who recorded those moments, tried to communicate with the injured Hicran Kaya inside the plane. In the footage, the mountaineer can be heard saying, "We reached the plane. How are you? Yes, we have arrived. Is there any response from the other friend? Are you okay? Is your consciousness clear? Please be patient. Sorry for being so late" as he reached the wreckage.
"EVERYONE STARTED RUNNING WHEN THEY SAW THE PLANE" Ali Yılmaz, a mountaineer and member of KDRK, who reached the plane wreckage, recounted the events. Yılmaz stated that they reached the wreckage after an 8-hour hike, saying, "Unfortunately, we received the news of the incident. We got a support message from AFAD. Then we set off. We started searching on foot about 2 hours later. The conditions were very difficult. They tried to inform us of the coordinates of the place where the plane crashed. We searched for about 8 hours on foot. We thought it would be easier when the morning light came, but the weather and fog made our job harder. During this time, snow, hail, and rain continued at times. We found the plane around 6 in the morning. There were a total of 16 of us. There were KDRK, JAK, and İDAK teams. When we found it, Hüsnü Kan was in front of us, going ahead as a pioneer. There was about a 4-5 minute distance between us. We sent him ahead because his physical condition was better. When he saw the plane, he started running out of joy. When we saw the plane through the fog, everyone started running. We reached the side of the plane. We learned about the condition of our injured person. Unfortunately, we learned that the pilot was dead," he said.
"THE ONLY THING THAT KEPT THE INJURED ALIVE WAS BEING INSIDE THE PLANE" Yılmaz stated that the only thing that kept the injured Hicran Kaya alive was the plane, saying, "We did not remove the victim from the plane until the helicopter arrived. It was safer there than in the cold weather. The only thing that kept the injured alive was being inside the plane. If he had gotten out, he would have entered hypothermia 99% of the time. It was below freezing. We were very cold even while standing still." Mountaineer Ali Yılmaz added, "The injured was able to speak. His condition was good. He was mentally fine as well. He told us about the moment the plane crashed. The pilot had flown the plane a bit low. He told the pilot, 'We are flying too low. We need to gain some altitude.' The pilot replied, 'There won't be a problem, we will pass through here, it will be fine.' They entered the fog like that. After entering the fog, the accident occurred."
"WE BELIEVED WE WOULD FIND IT" Ali Yılmaz expressed his happiness for having contributed to the rescue of the injured, saying, "I am very happy that I had a role in saving our injured. I am very happy that the search and rescue training we have received so far has benefited me. None of my teammates were mentally disturbed. Everyone went believing. We believed we would find it. We found it a bit late, but we found it. Everyone fought with complete belief. We worked in unity and solidarity with the teams," he said.
```