A Croatian Air Force Kiowa OH-58 D helicopter crashed into the Adriatic Sea in the morning hours of January 27.
According to the defense ministry, the body of one crew member was recovered while a search and rescue operation for the second one is still underway. The body of one of the crew members was recovered by fishermen.
The Air Force has ordered an inquiry into the incident and all flight operations with the Kiowa helicopters were put on hold until the cause of the accident has been determined.
A Croatian Navy vessel with an embarked medical team and divers, along with a special operations boat has been deployed to the crash site.
The crashed helicopter, serial number 327, was built in 2011 and had a total of 520 flight hours. The senior pilot had logged over 2,500 flight hours in his carrier while the junior pilot had over 1,000 flight hours. 327 was flying in tandem with another Kiowa helicopter during regular training activities at the time of the accident.
