Croatia Plane Crash
Small Plane Crashes in Croatia, Killing Four After Departing from Germany
A small private plane crashed near the city of Pula on Croatia's Istria peninsula on Thursday, killing all four people on board. The Beechcraft Bonanza G36, registered in Germany under the call sign D-ENTT, had departed from Austria before entering Croatian airspace, according to Associated Press and HINA News Agency.
Emergency services received the first alert at 11:19 AM. Seven firefighters, three fire vehicles, and three medical teams responded to the crash site in the uninhabited Campanoz area, near the Kaštijun landfill between Pula and Medulin. All four victims — three men and one woman — were found dead at the scene, per HINA News Agency.
Plane Entered a Spiral Dive on Perfect Flying Day
Local pilot Nijaz Delić witnessed the crash from the Medulin sports airfield. He told Index.hr: "The plane spiraled in the air and crashed into the ground. It was an ideal day for flying... I didn't hear any abnormal engine sounds until the impact." Weather conditions at the time were described as clear, with excellent visibility.
Aviation expert Željko Marušić, speaking to Glas Istre, explained that a spiral dive is different from a regular spin. In a spiral dive, the aircraft rapidly picks up speed and structural load, making it nearly impossible to pull out at low altitude. The plane is estimated to have been below 500 meters when it lost control.
German-Registered Plane Left Austria Without Filing a Croatian Flight Plan
The aircraft was a Beechcraft Bonanza G36, built around 2015, with a maximum capacity of six passengers. It was registered in Germany but departed from Austria on the day of the crash. Index.hr reported that no flight plan was filed with Croatian authorities before the plane entered the country's airspace — a detail that may draw scrutiny from regulators.
Early reports from Reuters and Xinhua stated the plane had taken off from Germany. Croatian state broadcaster HRT and the Associated Press later clarified that Austria was the actual departure point. The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) is expected to join the probe alongside Croatia's own Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Accident Investigation Agency (AIN), under international aviation rules.
Investigators Arrive as Questions Over Victims' Nationality Emerge
AIN investigators reached the crash site late Thursday afternoon to begin their technical assessment. Istrian Police spokesperson Alen Pačić confirmed all emergency services were on the ground "taking all necessary measures within their jurisdiction." The investigation is still in its early stages, and no official cause has been named.
Jutarnji List cited unofficial reports from Croatia's Institute of Forensic Medicine suggesting all four victims were Austrian nationals. If confirmed, that would align with the plane's Austrian departure point and could shift some of the investigation's focus to Austria. No official identification of the victims has been released.
Croatia Has Seen a String of Light Aircraft Crashes Since 2022
This is not an isolated event. In May 2022, a Cessna 182 disappeared near Broćanac and was later found wrecked. All four people on board died — including two German nationals, according to Aviation-Safety.net. In May 2024, another sports plane went down near Lučko airport in Zagreb, killing one and injuring four.
The crash near Medulin — a major Adriatic tourist destination — happened at the start of the summer season. Local officials may face pressure to tighten rules for foreign private aircraft entering Croatian airspace without active flight plans. The Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA) has not yet commented publicly on the incident.
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