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Pancarköy Disaster: How Air Pilot Captain Mustafa ÖZCAN and 64 Mehmetçiks Were Martyred?

During the Autumn Yıldırım 1981 Exercise, a military plane crash occurred on 22 September 1981, in which 65 soldiers were martyred at the same time. Since the name of the village where the plane crash took place was Pancarköy, the name of this tragic accident was recorded as "Pancarköy Disaster". This tragic plane crash in Pancarköy, near the Alpullu town of Babaeski, caused pain and grief all over Turkey that day.

Autumn Lightning Exercises Conducted Every Year in Thrace

The Autumn Lightning series of exercises, organised annually by Turkish Armed Forces units in the Thrace region, was planned to be conducted in the Thrace region in 1981. During this Autumn Lightning 1981 exercise, a military plane crash occurred on 22 September 1981, in which 65 soldiers were martyred at the same time. Since the name of the village where the plane crash occurred was Pancarköy, the name of this tragic accident was recorded as "Pancarköy Disaster". This tragic plane crash in Pancarköy, near the Alpullu town of Babaeski, caused pain and grief all over Turkey that day.

The location of the crash occurred at Karabatak, 500 metres west of Pancarköy, two kilometres from the E-5 highway connecting Lüleburgaz and Babaeski. As a result of the crash of the F-5 aircraft in the Karabatak pasture at around 13.40 on 22 September 1981, 64 privates and conscripts who were on duty in this area within the scope of the exercise were unfortunately martyred on the spot together with the pilot of the F-5 aircraft.

Although people in the nearby villages were used to seeing dozens of military vehicles every day, they had not seen such a comprehensive exercise for a long time. The sound of armoured vehicles and aircraft almost every day during the exercise gave the people of the region the opportunity to see the power of the Turkish Army up close and to get to know the Turkish military better. Many aircraft from the Turkish Air Force were also participating in this large-scale joint exercise.

On 22 September, soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company of the 241st Regiment of the 65th Infantry Division were in the Pancarköy area as part of the Yıldırım Autumn 1981 Exercise. After a rest break at lunchtime in the exercise area near Pancarköy, the soldiers gathered for muster at around 13.40. Meanwhile, two F-5 fighter jets, led by an Air Pilot Captain serving at the 6th Main Jet Base Command/Bandırma, were making low altitude passes over the exercise area to fulfil the air requirements of the exercise.

In this exercise, the dual F-5 wing was assigned to attack ground targets. Normally, when viewed from above, the Thracian terrain is known as a very smooth, flat land. There are very few elevations. However, when one descends to low altitude, countless small hills start to look like mountains. Especially in summer, when the soil and crops turn yellow, it becomes very difficult to distinguish the hills from the flat land.

How Did the Pancarköy Disaster Occur?

Under these conditions, the two F-5s descended lower and lower into the terrain and began to make low-altitude (graded) dives over the area where the soldiers were located, and after the dive, they began to perform evasive manoeuvres to protect themselves from representative enemy anti-aircraft guns as per the exercise scenario. The soldiers watching the planes from below were aware that the planes were descending so low that they were almost eye-to-eye with the pilots. This had undoubtedly turned into an aerial display, much to the delight of the Mehmetçiks below. Some of the soldiers in the assembly area were following the diving pilots closely by waving their hands and applauding enthusiastically.

After completing their first dive and performing evasive manoeuvres, the two columns established a pattern over the area and started to approach for the second dives. The second dives were planned to be made from a higher altitude and at a steeper angle. The pilot of the lead aircraft dived towards the unit. At a dive angle of approximately 30-35 degrees, he dived from above towards his representative target in the military unit. Apparently, he was so channelled towards the target that he descended below the representative bomb drop altitude. Realising at the last moment that he was too close to the ground, the pilot wanted to exit the dive for his life and gain altitude by pulling up. However, he was too late in giving this exit command. The aircraft should have started to exit the dive at a steep angle and at high speed towards the position where the soldiers were located. As the pilot was probably too late in giving the exit command, the aircraft hit the ground with the collapse, just before it was about to save itself. In an instant, the huge aircraft hit the ground and exploded. There were over 100 Mehmetçiks in the area where the aircraft crashed. Along with the pilot, 34 soldiers were martyred on the spot. During the accident, 72 soldiers who were also in the area were injured. Some 30 of these wounded soldiers, who were transferred to the hospitals in the neighbourhood, unfortunately could not be saved later. Thus, a total of 64 soldiers and 1 pilot were martyred as a result of the crash of the F-5 aircraft in the exercise area. Since the aircraft had external fuel tanks and the fuel in the tanks had not yet run out, the internal fuel in the aircraft ignited along with these tanks, which caught fire as a result of the crash, and unexpectedly many soldiers were injured and martyred in the accident.

Beetroot Disaster Survivors Describe

Private Ömer Kılıç, who survived the crash and still lives in Yalova province, stated in a documentary that some of the survivors barely escaped with their lives by throwing themselves into the nearby creek and pits, and that when he later walked around the crash site, he noticed that the high-voltage wires in the area where the plane crashed were broken.

Retired Major Rıfat Kılıç, who was serving as the Headquarters Company Commander at the time of the incident, said in an interview with Milliyet newspaper in 2007: "I was in the assembly area as the commander of the Headquarters Support Company with the rank of captain. We were getting ready to set off for the shooting exercise in Pınarhisar. We had loaded our vehicles and were going to leave the area. The time was exactly 13.30. Other companies of the battalion were also taking roll call near us. The moment we saw a jet from the hill right behind us, a fireball started to rise. Together with the pilot, 65 sons of our country burnt to death. Since the soldiers' backs were turned towards the hill, no one could see the moment the jet dived. Those moments never leave my mind. No matter how much I tell you, you cannot understand the tragedy. The burning soldiers were running to the right and left, shouting. Some of the soldiers ran and jumped into the stream next to us. My platoon commanders 10-15 steps ahead of me were wounded. I had seen hell in this world. The bodies of my soldiers were unrecognisable. Since the dog tags of many soldiers melted due to the heat, it was very difficult to identify them. Since the identities of 7 martyred soldiers could not be identified, they were buried in a place called Radar Hill. The bodies of the other martyrs were buried in the martyrdom built in Pancarköy. After the terrible accident, my outlook on life changed. I could not recover my psychology and I retired at the rank of major. The Pancarköy disaster tore me away from my dreams. I feel as if I have been condemned to an unrelenting pain." with these words, he described this terrible disaster.

In the Pancarköy Disaster, a total of 65 soldiers, including the pilot, were martyred. Such a great loss had never happened before in the history of the Turkish Air Force. Fortunately, it has not happened since that day either.

The Turkish Armed Forces erected the Pancarköy Martyrdom Monument, albeit with a delay, at the place where the plane crashed in Pancarköy Karabatak Pasture. Erected in 2000, the names of all the soldiers who were martyred in the crash are written on marble blocks. Every year on 22 September, commemoration ceremonies are held at the Martyrdom. I know that a commemoration and respect ceremony will also be held today. I expect those who live close to the region or who are passing near the region to visit this martyrdom. I would like to express that I see such visits as a debt of loyalty to our martyrs as a nation. This martyrdom is actually waiting for its visitors in the middle of the pasture in its own state and in a desolate way. Unfortunately, the number of visitors to the martyrdom during the year is very low. However, I would expect more people to visit this martyrdom, which is located at a frequented point for those who use the E-5 road between Edirne and Istanbul. I would like to remind you, our esteemed readers, of this painful page of our history and the importance of visiting the martyrdom. May the souls of our martyrs rest in peace.