The helicopter, in which 6 of our soldiers were martyred, has a long history of incidents.

Turkey was shaken by the news of a martyr on the first day of the week. A military helicopter crashed in the Keçiborlu district of Isparta. In the accident, Isparta Army Aviation School Commander Brigadier General İsa Baydilli and 5 of our soldiers were martyred.

HIS CRIMINAL RECORD IS NEVER-ENDING

It has been revealed that the 1956 US-made UH-1 helicopter, in which a total of 6 of our soldiers were martyred, had previously been involved in accidents in Turkey.

IT CRASHED IN ISTANBUL 5 YEARS AGO

The UH-1 type helicopter, which was also used in the Cyprus Peace Operation, crashed in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul on February 12, 2019. Four soldiers on board the helicopter that fell into a residential area were martyred.

UH-1s WERE USED IN THE VIETNAM WAR

UH-1s, which continue to be used by many countries and are symbols of the Vietnam War, were designed for search and rescue, transport, and pilot training missions.

THE US ARMY STARTED USING IT IN 1959 AND STOPPED IN 2004

The UH-1s, which made their first flight on October 22, 1956, entered service with the US Army in 1959. The last production of UH-1s was made in 1976, and the production line was closed that year. The US decided to stop using the UH-1s, which are the pioneers of the Bell helicopter series, starting in 2004. There have been previous UH-1 type military helicopter accidents in Turkey.

Those accidents are as follows:

November 8, 2002 - A UH-1 type helicopter belonging to Bandırma 6th Main Jet Base crashed while attempting to land in a training area. As a result of the accident, six military personnel were injured, two of them seriously.

March 16, 2006 - A UH-1 type military helicopter en route to Erzincan crashed after hitting a high voltage line, 55 km away from Erzincan. Five soldiers were martyred in the accident.

April 10, 2006 - A UH-1 type military personnel transport helicopter crashed near Uzunçiftlik in Kocaeli. Three military personnel were martyred.

January 10, 2011 - A UH-1 type military helicopter belonging to the Army Aviation School Command crashed in the area between Temelli in Sincan district and Dodurga Village in Polatlı district, resulting in the martyrdom of five officers.

November 26, 2018 - On November 26, 2018, a UH-1 type military helicopter belonging to the 4th Army Aviation Regiment crashed in the Sarıgazi neighborhood of Sancaktepe district in Istanbul, resulting in the death of five soldiers.

February 11, 2019 - A military UH-1 type helicopter crashed into a site in Çekmeköy, Istanbul, near a children's park. Four injured soldiers who were taken to the hospital were martyred.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE UH-1 HELICOPTER

The helicopter's specifications are as follows:

• Empty weight: 2,363 kilograms
• Maximum takeoff weight: 4,309 kilograms
• Length
• Fuselage: 12.77 m
• Overall (with rotor): 11.62 m
• Height: 4.42 m
• Rotor diameter: 14.63 m
• Crew: 1-2
• Carrying Capacity: 9-10 soldiers or six stretchers
• Maximum Speed: 204 km/h
• Service Ceiling: 3,840 m
• Flight Altitude: 4,280 m
• Range: approximately 510 km