Incident
On December 15, a single-engine airplane crashed into the sea off Karteros, near Heraklion, Greece. The aircraft had departed Heraklion-Nikos Kazantzakis Airport from runway 09, en route to Hurghada, Egypt. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported problems and declared an emergency. The airplane climbed to 1,400 feet before making a right turn to return to the airport. During the turn, it lost height and speed, then stalled and crashed into the water.
The pilot, aged 26, sustained minor injuries. The passenger, a 68-year-old Indonesian citizen, died shortly after the crash. The aircraft floated for a while before sinking. The accident occurred on the final leg of a delivery flight that originated from Buochs Airport, Switzerland, on December 12. The airplane had made stops in Maribor, Slovenia, and Podgorica, Montenegro, before reaching Heraklion.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a Pilatus PC-6, named 'Franz'. It was the last PC-6 built by the Swiss manufacturer. The airplane was on a delivery flight to its new owner, Smart Cakrawala Aviation, based in Indonesia. No other details about the aircraft were provided in the report.