Ahmet Gökmen, the father of 21-year-old Ataberk Gökmen, who lost his life in a plane crash in Manavgat, Antalya, in 2019, continues to feel the pain as deeply as the first day. Residing in Çorlu, Gökmen has been pursuing a legal battle for 5.5 years, warning the public about unregulated aviation companies.
“My Son Wanted to Be a Pilot”
On June 10, 2019, a TC-DBO registered C-172 P training aircraft belonging to Side Civil Aviation crashed in the Kum area. Among the three people onboard, Ataberk Gökmen, a senior aviation student at Istanbul Bilgi University, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Speaking about his son’s dreams, Ahmet Gökmen shared:
“Ataberk was 21 years old, a successful student, and dreamed of becoming a pilot. That day, he took off for a demo flight. However, the crash happened during takeoff. We learned about it from the news, and our lives were shattered.”
“The Aircraft Was Not Properly Maintained”
Gökmen discovered from post-crash reports that the aircraft was not properly maintained and the fuel was destroyed without analysis. He claimed negligence was the cause of the tragedy:
“The accident report revealed significant shortcomings. The aircraft’s maintenance was not performed regularly, and the fuel was disposed of without inspection. Additionally, training flights were not permitted that day, yet the flight went ahead. If I had access to these documents beforehand, I would never have let my son board that flight.”
“Unregulated Companies Must Be Investigated”
Calling for vigilance from other families, Gökmen stressed the importance of choosing reputable companies:
“To prevent such tragedies, families must avoid entrusting their children to unchecked, unreliable aviation companies. I cannot bring my son back, but I will continue my fight to ensure no other family suffers like we have. Our country’s children are invaluable, and these unregulated companies should not be allowed to claim more lives.”
Ahmet Gökmen visits his son’s grave daily and says his pain never subsides. While the legal process continues, he urged authorities to take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.
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