Helipad in Mugla incident where 4 died found to be unlicensed
A new detail has emerged regarding the accident in Mugla where an air ambulance crashed into a hospital, resulting in the deaths of 4 people. It has been learned that the helipad from which the helicopter took off was unlicensed.
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It has been revealed that the helipad from which the helicopter took off, only to crash into the Mugla Training and Research Hospital seconds later, was unlicensed. In a report by Ismail Ari from Birgun, it is stated that according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the helipad at the Mugla Training and Research Hospital does not have a license. While many hospital helipads are included in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's list, this helipad in Mugla is not on the list of licensed facilities.
The Ministry of Health leased air ambulances from the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK) for many years. However, starting from the final months of 2022, air ambulances were no longer leased from the THK. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health did not pay the 1 million 72 thousand dollars it owed to the THK. The THK, which is managed by trustees appointed by the AKP, sold the helicopters to Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ). Kürşat Atılgan, a former member of parliament and pilot who retired from the Turkish Air Force Command with the rank of Brigadier General and served as the President of the Turkish Aeronautical Association between 2015 and 2018, evaluated the helicopter accident for BirGun. Stating, "The trustees who came after me sold these helicopters," Kürşat Atılgan said the following: "These helicopters were transferred from an institution like the Turkish Aeronautical Association, which has been doing this work for 100 years and is the foundation of aviation, to another structure. During my presidency, I secured the air ambulance tender for the Ministry of Health. These helicopters are well-equipped and very good helicopters. They are among the most widely used helicopters for ambulance services in the world. I had previously stated that the accident and incident investigation board, which is under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, must absolutely be transferred to the Ministry of Transport. I do not know if they made this change, but I had also brought it up in Parliament. One institution is both responsible for aviation and handles the accident investigation. When this is the case, what happens if there is a fault? In this accident, we see that visibility was limited due to fog. Now, the accident investigation team will prepare a report, but the preparation of this report sometimes takes months. The THK operated these helicopters for about 10 years and there was no accident. Why wasn't there? Because the THK has 100 years of flight experience behind it, and it has a flight school. As the president, I would personally examine the background and experience of the pilots. Aviation rules are written in blood. There were definitely accidents behind them. Rules are then created as a result."