Two German Nationals Killed in Croatia Small Plane Crash, Flying Club Confirms

The two people killed in Friday's small-plane crash in Croatia were German nationals, the German Foreign Office and a Hamburg-based flying club confirmed. The club, HFB-Fluggemeinschaft, said both victims were members and were traveling from the Czech Republic to Zadar when the aircraft went down.

The aircraft, a 20-year-old Super Dimona HK36TC-100 two-seater motor glider, was registered in Germany. Croatian police said the wreckage and the bodies of the two occupants were found in the Velebit mountains, near the coastal city of Zadar, after a lengthy search in difficult terrain. Civil defense teams, fire brigades and mountain rescue services were involved in the operation.

Contact with the aircraft was lost on Friday afternoon after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT). The German Foreign Office confirmed the nationality of those on board but did not release further details about their identities.

The Velebit range is a remote karst area known for abrupt weather shifts, sharp ridges and few safe landing sites, making it one of the more demanding sections of airspace along the Croatian coastline. The route from the Czech Republic to Zadar crosses a wide stretch of the western Balkans, and investigators are expected to examine weather reports, maintenance records and flight patterns as they work to determine the cause of the crash.

No official cause has been announced. Croatian civil-aviation authorities are leading the investigation, with support from police and mountain rescue services. The deaths highlight the risks of recreational motor-glider flying in mountainous terrain, and the accident is likely to add to discussions about safety procedures for cross-country light aircraft flights in the region. No immediate regulatory changes have been announced.