Croatia Confirms Pilot’s Death in Military Helicopter Crash

The Croatian Defence Ministry said on Monday that a military helicopter had crashed into the Adriatic Sea that morning, killing the pilot.

It said the air force OH-58 D Kiowa helicopter crashed between the island of Zlarin and the coastal town of Zablace near Sibenik. The pilot was confirmed dead while the search for the second crew member was ongoing.

Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic expressed condolences to the family of the pilot at Monday's press conference while explaining the event.

"During flight activity in the area of ​​Zablace and Zlarin, a military helicopter with two crew members dropped, so far, for an unspecified reason. All measures were immediately taken to retrieve and rescue them. One pilot was found and unfortunately passed away," Krsticevic said.

Croatia reportedly obtained 16 Kiowa Warrior helicopters, made between 2010 and 2012, as a donation from the United States in 2016.

Similar tragedies involving military helicopters have occurred in the region in recent years.

In June 2018, a 30-year-old Soviet-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed near Krumovo air force base in Bulgaria, killing both pilots, probably suffered a technical problem, according to officials.

In June 2016, a deputy commander of the Montenegrin Army's air force and his co-pilot were injured when their Gazelle HN-45M helicopter went down. The helicopter had been "carrying out a regular planned training flight", the Montenegrin defence ministry said then.

Also in Montenegro, three airmen died in September 2011, when a military helicopter crashed in the Lustica area, near the coastal town of Herceg Novi, in a training flight. An investigation concluded in 2014 that no one should be prosecuted over the incident.

In March 2015, in...