Ministry of National Defense announces military helicopter crash in Ankara

A CH-47 heavy-lift helicopter belonging to the Army Aviation Command suffered a crash for an unknown reason during a training flight in the Sincan district of Ankara.

Following the accident, which occurred in the evening hours, numerous medical and fire department teams were dispatched to the area. It was learned that there were no negative issues regarding the health status of the personnel involved in the accident.

While the accident investigation team arrived at the scene to continue their examination, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces General Metin Tokel also arrived at the site to conduct inspections. Additionally, Sincan District Governor Levent Kılıç, who arrived in the area, answered questions from members of the press, stating, "There are 5 personnel; 4 of them are in good condition. One personnel has mild chest pain and has been transported to the hospital. There are no problems. The condition of the helicopter is being examined. Since it is a military helicopter, an accident investigation team will arrive. There are no issues. It happened during landing while conducting a training flight. I don't know exactly, but it happened around 23:00. Our Land Forces Commander has already arrived. It is gratifying that we have no injuries or loss of life."

Nizami Demirel, one of the eyewitnesses to the incident, stated that he helped the teams because he knew the area, saying, "They were flying for training. A sound was heard, then a fire flared up. It happened in an instant. A commander said there were 5 personnel. They said there were no deaths. There was one injured person who was sitting. We didn't go because they said it was forbidden. I led the ambulances to the scene. Since I know the area, I helped them take the shortest route. It happened between 22:30 and 23:00. We always see the helicopters because they train over our village. I was outside at the moment of the accident. A sound came suddenly. I felt it had crashed and we immediately called 112. Since I knew the location, we went together and reached the scene," he said.

News Source: 12punto