Four Killed as German-Registered Beechcraft G36 Crashes Near Croatian Airfield

Four people died Wednesday when a German-registered Beechcraft G36 Bonanza crashed in a field near Medulin Sports Airfield on Croatia's Istria Peninsula. The aircraft, registration D-ENTT, was reportedly on a private flight from Austria when it went down June 4, according to the Croatian Accident Investigation Agency (AIN).

Witness accounts indicate the aircraft spiraled before striking the ground in an open field approximately two to three kilometers southwest of the airfield. Croatian authorities and the national news agency HINA confirmed that all four occupants — identified as Austrian nationals — perished in the high-energy impact.

Investigation Underway

Croatia's AIN has opened a formal safety investigation to determine the cause of the accident. Investigators are analyzing wreckage and flight data, but no preliminary cause has been released. The single-engine piston aircraft is widely used for private and business travel. While aviation records show previous unrelated incidents across the Beechcraft Bonanza series — ranging from engine failures to landing difficulties — investigators have not linked any specific mechanical or operational failure to the Medulin crash.