On May 20, 2023, in the morning hours, a group of small aircraft, carrying Dutch nationals, took off from Maribor Airport (LJMB) in Slovenia. The aircraft in the group did not fly together in formation. Their destination was Pula Airport (LDPL) in Croatia. The aircraft with registration PH-YMC took off at 11:22 LT (local time).
The aircraft flew from Maribor to the west through Slovenia. Upon entering Croatia in the northern Istria region, they continued south towards Pula. Only this particular aircraft turned south earlier than the others, crossing the Slovenian-Croatian border in the Gorski Kotar region and continued flying south. The aircraft flew over the eastern part of Gorski Kotar, heading towards Mala Kapela mountain, into which it crashed just below the ridge.
The aircraft was found the same day in a forested area of Mala Kapela, completely destroyed, both mechanically and by fire. All three people on board were killed.
The Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Accident Investigation Agency received information about the accident from OKC-MUP and HKZP. Investigators went to the site and launched a safety investigation.
The safety investigation found that the cause of the accident was flying into terrain in conditions with inadequate visibility.
AIN did not issue any safety recommendations.