A German-registered Diamond HK36 TC-100 Super Dimona motor glider crashed on Friday afternoon in the southern Velebit area. After a search lasting several hours, members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) located the wreckage in the Struge area of Paklenica National Park. Both people on board were killed.

The aircraft, registered D-KWZE, was flying from the Czech Republic toward Zadar when contact with it was lost at around 16:14 on Friday, August 21. According to Croatia’s Civil Protection Directorate, the aircraft’s last known position was approximately 17 nautical miles northeast of Zadar, after which the Civil Protection Operations Centre launched a search-and-rescue operation.

The initial response involved Civil Protection personnel from Zadar and Gospić, police officers, firefighters and HGSS teams, with the operation coordinated from a base established in Starigrad Paklenica. State Civil Protection intervention units from Split and Rijeka were later activated as well, bringing command vehicles, drones and equipment for night-time searches. However, extremely poor weather conditions prevented an aerial search of the area.

HGSS released additional details about the demanding operation on Saturday. A total of 40 HGSS members from stations in Zadar, Gospić, Zagreb, Osijek, Zlatar Bistrica, Split and Novska took part, together with two employees of Paklenica National Park. Thirty-five HGSS rescuers were deployed in the field, while the remaining personnel provided command, communications and logistical support. At one point, all HGSS stations in Croatia were placed on standby.

The search focused on the Veliko Rujno and Struge areas across extremely difficult mountainous terrain. Rain, strong winds and dense fog further complicated the operation, reducing visibility in parts of Velebit to only a few metres. Those conditions also prevented the use of drones and helicopters operated by the Croatian police and Armed Forces.

Analysis of available flight data played a key role in locating the aircraft. Based on those data, HGSS was able to significantly narrow the search area and determine a probable location, toward which ground teams were then dispatched. The wreckage of D-KWZE was found at around 22:00 in the Struge area. Two people were found inside the aircraft with no signs of life. All HGSS teams returned to the operational base in Starigrad Paklenica at around 01:00.

The aircraft was not an ultralight, but a motor glider. Although Croatia’s Civil Protection Directorate, police and several local media outlets initially described D-KWZE as an “ultralight aircraft,” available data show that it belongs to a different aircraft category.

Flightradar24 identifies D-KWZE as a Diamond HK36 TC-100 Super Dimona, while Planespotters.net lists the same aircraft with serial number 36.803. It was privately registered in Germany.

Diamond Aircraft itself describes the HK36 Super Dimona as a two-seat touring motor glider, or TMG. The type traces its origins to the Hoffmann H36 Dimona, while production of the HK36 Super Dimona in Wiener Neustadt began in 1987. The aircraft later became one of the foundations on which Diamond Aircraft developed its broader family of light aircraft.

The German registration itself also points to the aircraft’s category. In Germany, registrations beginning with D-K are assigned to motor gliders, while powered ultralight aircraft generally use registrations beginning with D-M.

Cause of the accident remains unknown. Police secured the crash site after the wreckage was found, while activities related to the on-site investigation and determination of the circumstances began on Saturday. According to information published during the morning, police investigators, a medical examiner and aviation accident investigators were expected to take part in the investigation.

At the time of publication, no official cause of the accident had been announced. Although it has been confirmed that weather conditions over Velebit were extremely poor during the search, this alone does not establish that weather was the cause of the crash. That will be determined by the technical investigation, which is expected to include analysis of the aircraft’s flight path, its technical condition, meteorological data and all other available evidence.

The identities of those killed had also not been officially released at the time of publication. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Czech media that, according to the information available to it, the victims were not Czech nationals, while Croatian media reported unofficially that they were German citizens. Final confirmation is expected following the official identification process.