2007 Isparta Aircraft Crash

The Isparta airplane crash that occurred on 30 November 2007 was an incident in which a passenger aircraft operating the Istanbul-Isparta route crashed, resulting in the deaths of 57 people. The aircraft, KKK 4203, a 1996-model MD-83 commercial plane, departed from İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı at 00:51. A total of 57 people died in the crash, including 50 passengers and seven crew members, with no survivors.^【1】 

The passenger aircraft, with a capacity of 165 seats, deviated from its approach path to Isparta Süleyman Demirel Havalimanı and crashed at the Türbetepe location, approximately six to seven kilometers southwest of the Keçiborlu district. According to statements by local authorities, this area at an elevation of 1,830 meters lies outside the aircraft’s normal transit zone. The wreckage was found between the villages of Çukurören and Yenitepe.^【2】  Initial investigations at the crash site observed that the aircraft had struck trees before impact, causing its wing to break, followed by the disintegration and scattering of its fuselage. It was recorded that contact with the control tower was lost at the moment when weather reports indicated conditions were suitable for landing, but the aircraft had been planned to make a detour over Burdur when communication was lost.

^{An Image from the Isparta Airplane Crash of 30 November 2007 (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

Among the passengers who lost their lives in the crash were prominent scientists traveling to Isparta to attend a physics conference organized by Süleyman Demirel University. The scientists on board were: Prof. Dr. Engin Arık, Prof. Dr. F. Şenel BOYDAĞ, Doç. Dr. İskender HİKMET, Araş. Gör. Özgen Berkol DOĞAN, Araş. Gör. Mustafa FİDAN, and Engin ABAT.^【4】  Records indicate that the scientists lost in the crash were conducting research on thorium, which is of importance to Türkiye’s national energy strategies. In the initial investigation report prepared by faculty members of Eskişehir Anadolu University, the pilots were identified as “primarily at fault”. However, following objections from the plaintiffs’ attorneys, a revised report issued in 2013 concluded that the primary cause of the crash was the decision to permit flight despite the presence of numerous technical deficiencies and malfunctions on the aircraft.^【5】  Additionally, the report noted the absence of cockpit voice and flight data recorders (black boxes), which are essential for flight safety documentation.

^{An Image from the Isparta Airplane Crash of 30 November 2007 (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

The legal case related to the crash began in the Isparta Heavy Criminal Court with 20 defendants and underwent a lengthy trial process. In 2016, the Court of Cassation’s 12th Criminal Chamber upheld prison sentences of 11 years and 8 months each for the joint owners, general manager, and technical manager of the operating company, Dünyaya Bakış Hava Taşımacılığı AŞ, on charges of manslaughter through negligence. Additionally, the former Director General of Civil Aviation and his deputy were sentenced to imprisonment for abuse of duty. Following the Court of Cassation’s annulment of acquittals for some defendants, a new trial process resumed. As a result of this retrial, the sentences of five years and ten months each imposed on the defendants were upheld by the Court of Cassation’s 12th Criminal Chamber on 11 March 2024, bringing to a close the 17-year-long case file. It was also recorded during the proceedings that the statute of limitations had expired for certain institutions and individuals involved in the case.^【7】