Croatian Defence Minister Resigns Over Military Plane Crash

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic accepted the resignation of Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic on Friday after a Croatian Air Force training plane crashed at Biljane Donje near the coastal city of Zadar, killing two airmen.

"The minister said that he was resigning… I personally do not see any reason why I could connect his political responsibilities with the fact that the plane crashed, but I understand that this situation hit him hard; he himself was a soldier… He is my closest associate in the HDZ [ruling party] and the government, and my friend," Plenkovic told media after meeting Krsticevic.

Pad aviona kod Zadra. #dnevnikhr https://t.co/mjOoiHWShg

— DNEVNIK.hr (@DNEVNIKhr) May 7, 2020

"If he tells me he can't do it any more, I respect that. That doesn't mean he had stopped being politically engaged," he added.

He said that he will not propose a new defence minister, but that the ministry will be led by one of the state secretaries.

The aircraft, a small Czech-made Zlin-242 twin-seater, crashed near Zadar on Thursday afternoon. The chief of staff of Croatia's armed forces, Vice-Admiral Robert Hranj, told reporters that the cause of the crash is so far unknown.

A few hours after the accident, Krsticevic expressed his condolences to the families of the men who were killed and announced his resignation. Krsticevic admitted to reporters that he had not informed the prime minister about his resignation.

A similar incident involving military aircraft happened in Croatia in January when an air force OH-58 D Kiowa helicopter crashed between the island of Zlarin and the coastal town of Zablace near Sibenik, killing two airmen.