Fugitive Convict of Isparta Plane Crash, Where 57 Died, Captured 17 Years Later

Istanbul Police Department's Airport Branch teams, as part of efforts to prevent inter-provincial and international crimes, stopped an individual exhibiting suspicious behavior while heading to Gaziantep at the airport.

Upon examination, the officers noticed that the individual had provided an old-style ID with altered photographs, determining the document to be counterfeit.

During the investigation, it was found that the individual sought for the crime of "causing death and injury by negligence" was Yavuz Çizmeci, a partner of World Focus Air Transport Inc., the company that leased the plane from Atlasjet, in the trial related to the crash on November 30, 2007, during the Istanbul-Isparta flight, where 57 people lost their lives, resulting in a final prison sentence of 11 years and 8 months.

Following the necessary legal procedures at the courthouse due to the existing final prison sentence against him, Yavuz Çizmeci was sent to prison.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The passenger plane belonging to World Focus Air Transport Inc., which carried passengers of Atlasjet Aviation Inc. from Istanbul to Isparta, crashed on November 30, 2007, near the Türbetepe location close to Keçiborlu district of Isparta, resulting in the loss of lives of 7 crew members and 57 individuals.

Among the deceased were project participants such as Prof. Dr. Engin Arık from Boğaziçi University, Prof. Dr. Şenel Boydağ, the Head of the Department of Natural Sciences at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Doğuş University, Assoc. Dr. İskender Hikmet, as well as research assistants Mustafa Fidan, Özgen Berkol Doğan, and graduate student Engin Abat.

The public trial related to the plane crash was initiated on June 16, 2009. The first hearing of the trial, where 10 individuals, including some high-ranking and technical personnel from World Focus Airlines, were tried, took place on July 28, 2009, at the Isparta Heavy Penal Court. The number of defendants increased from 12 to 20 during the trials.

On January 6, 2015, the Isparta 1st Heavy Penal Court announced its verdict, sentencing 8 of the defendants to prison terms ranging from 11 years and 8 months to 1 year and 8 months, while acquitting 12 defendants. Upon appeal, the Court of Cassation's 12th Criminal Chamber upheld the 11-year 8-month prison sentences for Yavuz Çizmeci, the partner of World Focus Air Transport Inc., the General Manager Aydın Kızıltan, and the Technical Manager İsmail Taşdelen. It also affirmed the 5-year 10-month prison sentence for Maintenance Manager Fikri Zafer Dinçer. However, it overturned the acquittal of Tuncay Mustafa Doğaner, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, and General Manager of Atlasjet Airlines at the time, along with Flight Operations Manager Mehmet Şerif Erbilgin.

CASE CLOSED AFTER 17 YEARS

The Chamber also upheld the acquittal decisions for other defendants. The Isparta 1st Heavy Penal Court, upon retrial of the defendants Doğaner and Erbilgin following the Court of Cassation's decision, sentenced them to 5 years and 10 months in prison for "causing death by negligence" in 2021. With the Court of Cassation's affirmation of the prison sentences imposed on Doğaner and Erbilgin, the case was closed 17 years later.