The Diamond DA20-type training aircraft registered TC-AJG and belonging to AYJET Flight School was involved in an accident during a training flight at Hezarfen Airport. The final-year pilot training student, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to hospital.
The single-engine Diamond DA20-type training aircraft registered TC-AJG and belonging to AYJET Flight School made a hard landing and was involved in an accident during a training flight at Hezarfen Airport in Istanbul’s Çatalca district at around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2026. In the incident, during which the tail section came into contact with the runway, final-year pilot training student Baran B., who was conducting a solo flight, sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital by medical teams.
Aircraft records also show that the aircraft registered TC-AJG is a Diamond DA20-C1-type training aircraft in the AYJET fleet.
The aircraft’s tail contacted the runway during the hard landing
According to initial information, the student pilot was conducting takeoff and landing training as part of a solo flight at Hezarfen Airport. During the landing, there was a hard contact and the aircraft’s tail section struck the runway.
The Istanbul Governor’s Office also stated that the training aircraft was involved in an accident after its tail scraped the ground. The Governor’s Office announced that final-year pilot training student B.B. sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
The detailed technical sequence of the accident has not yet been confirmed by an official investigation report. According to initial information, the student pilot went around and became airborne again after the hard landing, and later made a hard landing in an open area located north of the runway.
Diamond DA20 heavily damaged
During the hard landing, the composite-bodied Diamond DA20 training aircraft sustained severe structural damage. According to initial information, the aircraft broke into two pieces during the accident.
Following the incident, medical teams, gendarmerie personnel and crime scene investigation teams were dispatched to the area. The student pilot, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precaution after receiving initial treatment.
The student pilot was reported to be in good health.
Istanbul Governor’s Office announces investigation launched
The Istanbul Governor’s Office announced in a statement following the accident that an investigation had been launched into the incident.
The Governor’s Office stated that the accident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. on August 6, 2026, in the Bahşayiş neighborhood of Çatalca, and that the training aircraft belonging to a private flight school was involved in an accident after its tail scraped the ground.
It was noted that the final-year pilot training student, who sustained minor injuries in the accident, was taken to hospital by medical teams and placed under treatment.
Cause of the accident to be determined through technical investigation
A technical investigation process into the accident has been launched. The Transportation Safety Investigation Center under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure conducts technical investigations into aircraft accidents and serious incidents.
The technical condition of TC-AJG before the accident, flight records, the hard landing and the effects of the tail contact on the subsequent sequence of events will become clear as a result of the investigations.
The definitive cause of the accident will be determined in a report to be prepared after the technical investigations are completed.
