After the missing Cessna with the bodies of the passengers was found at the Vagan peak of the Velebit mountain, speculations have arisen as to the cause of the accident.

The commander of the special police Zdravko Janjic distanced himself from any speculations, and said that he will leave the analysis of the accident to the experts. Dinko Vodanovic, the chief investigator for aircraft accidents, said that only members of the special police can reach the scene of the crash for now due to hard conditions, and that an investigation of the scene is yet to come.

The only person that wanted to say something about the cause of the accident was Josip Crncevic, the owner of the Cessna, who said that he is convinced that the army is involved in the whole case, who carry out military aircraft practice near Zadar. He also blamed Zagreb’s flight control, who allegedly allowed the aircraft to fly via a prohibited route, and he also believes that the flight control forced his colleagues to reduce their altitude from eight to six thousand feet.

Defence ministry informed air traffic control of prohibited routes five days earlier

In order to check if Crncevic’s allegations are true, we contacted a member of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, who wanted to remain anonymous.

“The Ministry of Defence does not bear any responsibility for the accident. The possibility that the ministry did not inform Zagreb’s air control of zones that will be closed for military practice does not exist” said an anonymous members of the Croatian Air Force.

The announcements of the zones that will be closed is delivered to the air traffic control at least five days in advance.

Furthermore, in order for a plane to fly at all, it is key that the pilot deliver a flight plan to the flight control, and they must inform the pilot if there are any prohibited zones.

Possible causes of fall are freezing, as well as bad weather conditions

“If military practice is taking place, the air traffic control is certainly informed, and it is their duty to inform a civilian pilot about the detour paths to take. The suspicion that the Cessna entered the prohibited zone does not have a basis” he said.

When asked about the possible causes for the fall of the aircraft, the air force member said:

“We can only speculate about the causes now. It is possible that the altitude meter froze, in which case the same altitude would be displayed, regardless of their real height, which could trick the pilots. It is possible that the wings of the Cessna froze, which would make it heavier, and it would lose its ability to stay in the air, which would lead to it falling. I believe that the cause of the fall is not the failure of both engines, which that type of aircraft has. The clouds and fog on Velebit mountain also have an important role in the fall” he concluded.

Aleksandar flew for the special police in Lucko

The Ministry of Defence gave an official explanation why a flying prohibition was issued for February 5, the day the Cessna disappeared. The prohibition was scheduled for between 8am and 3pm, for an altitude of 6,500 feet to 16,500 feet. Goran Gorosinic, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, stresses that the planes stopped their flights on the day of the accident at 1pm.

Also, the mentioned anonymous Air Force member said that the 49 year old Walter Aleksandar, one of those killed in the accident, was a helicopter pilot of the special police in Lucko. Maybe that is one of the reasons why they insisted that the search be efficient and fast.