07.10.2025 21:38
An interesting detail has emerged in the case regarding the plane crash in which instructor pilot Furkan Otkum and student pilot Murat Avşar lost their lives. The company's Flight Operations Manager stated that he had flown the aircraft that crashed on the day of the incident, saying, "I did not see any issues during this flight. While I was resting, Furkan wanted to change planes, and I accepted. Then the accident happened."
An interesting detail has emerged in the case related to the plane crash in Bursa, in which instructor pilot Furkan Otkum (29) and student pilot Murat Avşar (32) lost their lives. Selim P., the company's Flight Operations Manager, who was heard as a witness, stated that he was on a flight from Izmir-Edremit-Bursa with the crashed plane on the morning of the incident, saying, "I did not see any issues during this flight. After the flight, we were supposed to take off again back-to-back with Furkan. While I was resting, Furkan wanted to change planes. I accepted. Then the accident happened."
2 PEOPLE DIED IN THE 2022 PLANE CRASH On April 25, 2022, shortly after taking off from Yunuseli Airport in Bursa, a single-engine training plane lost contact and crashed into a two-story building on Sarıgül Street in the Bağlarbaşı neighborhood of Osmangazi district, before falling between houses. The disintegrated plane caught fire and burned. In the accident, instructor pilot Furkan Otkum and student pilot Murat Avşar lost their lives, and 2 houses and 2 vehicles were also damaged.
Moments when the plane caught fire after crashing into the house and falling onto the street were captured by nearby security cameras. The footage showed citizens walking on the street fleeing after hearing sounds before the accident. As the plane fell onto the street, a fireball rose, and pieces that broke off scattered around, with 2 people walking on the street miraculously escaping without injury. With the airplane fuel spreading and igniting within seconds, 2 parked vehicles were also caught in the flames.
3 SUSPECTS' SENTENCE OF UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED WITHOUT ARREST After the crash investigation team from Ankara completed their examinations, the wreckage of the plane was removed from the site by a tow truck. Fevzi A., the owner of the civil aviation company who was detained after the accident, along with Cüneyt A., who served as the Deputy General Manager of Strategy and Business Development at Bursa Transportation Public Transport Operations (BURULAŞ) at the time of the incident, and aircraft technician Mustafa K., were released to be tried without arrest. In the investigation conducted by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a case was opened against the 3 suspects for the crime of 'causing death or injury by negligence,' with a request for up to 15 years in prison.
"WE CHANGED PLANES WITH FURKAN, THEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED" The second hearing of the case was held today at the Bursa 5th Heavy Penal Court. The hearing was attended by the suspects Fevzi A., Cüneyt A., and Mustafa K., witnesses, relatives of the pilots who lost their lives in the accident, and the lawyers of the parties. The court panel listened to the witnesses during the hearing. The statements of Selim P., the Flight Operations Manager of the company, revealed an interesting detail. Stating that he was close friends with Furkan Otkum, Selim P. said, "Murat Avşar was the pilot who would be gaining experience. On the morning of the incident, I took off from Bursa with the plane that crashed and made a flight from Izmir-Edremit-Bursa. I was resting for an experience lesson before the accident. We were supposed to take off back-to-back with Furkan for the experience flight. While I was resting, Furkan suggested changing planes. I accepted. There is no problem according to flight rules in changing planes. Shortly after Furkan took off, we saw that he had crashed."
"THE PLANE SPIRALED DOWN" Laçin A., who participated via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from Izmir and was working as a pilot at the company on the day of the accident, stated that he had flown with the plane that had crashed the day before, taking off from Bursa for a flight from Denizli-Isparta-Bursa. Stating that he saw the accident, Alp said, "About 1 minute after takeoff, they turned back. When they faced the runway, we were saying that we would ask why they turned back when they landed. While we were waiting for them to land, the plane did a 'spin,' then spiraled down around its own axis. I witnessed the moments of the fall with my own eyes," he said.
Laçin A. stated that after the Izmir-Edremit flight, he started the plane's engine at the request of technician Mustafa K., saying, "There was no problem when I started the engine. When I asked Mustafa K., 'Why did you have me start the engine?' he said, 'There is no problem. I wanted to listen to the sound of the engine,'" he said.
"I DID NOT CHANGE THE CARBURETOR SETTINGS" Fevzi A., who was given the floor by the court panel, stated that his previous statement was valid and that he did not accept the accusations. After Fevzi A., Mustafa K. was given the floor and stated that the plane's excessive fuel consumption could be a meteorological event, saying, "It is said that the plane would be faulty because it consumed too much fuel. This is not a fault. They also did not tell me that it was consuming too much. Additionally, I am presenting you with a photo of the relevant page of the aircraft's fault log, a document and images indicating that the aircraft materials were not properly preserved after the accident. I did not change the carburetor settings," he said.
After the lawyers' defenses, the court panel decided to establish a new expert committee consisting of 3 people to examine whether the suspects, BURULAŞ, and Selim P. as the Flight Operations Manager had any faults regarding the case, taking into account the statements of the suspects and their lawyers, and the hearing was adjourned for the submission of the committee's report.