Murat Öztürk (1953 in Konya – 19 May 2013 in Adana) was a Turkish professional

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and former

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

Early life

Murat Öztürk was born 1953 in

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

. He worked as a news camera operator at the state-run television channel of

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introductio ...

(TRT). On September 19th, 1976, Murat's father was on board Turkish Airlines Flight 452 when it crashed into a Mountain killing him and everyone else on board. Murat's professional life changed in 1985 when he was sent to Samandıra Airfield, Istanbul for a news footage on

ultralight aviation Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

. Afterwards, he took to flying ultralight aircraft, and acquired both pilot and instructor licenses.

Aviator

With a friend, Öztürk purchased an agricultural plot on the bank of

Lake Büyükçekmece Lake Büyükçekmece () is a Liman (landform), liman formed at the point where the river Karasudere flows into the Marmara Sea. The lake is located south of the Çatalca district, west of Istanbul, Turkey. It is used as a freshwater reservoir. Th ...

to convert it into an earthen sports airfield for his flight exercises. He soon left his post as a cameraman, and, with the financial support of a businessman, built an asphalt-covered airfield with hangars that became known as

Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield Hezarfen Airfield () is a privately owned airport for general aviation in the Çatalca district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of a total of five airports in Istanbul along with Istanbul Airport (LTFM), Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Ai ...

, serving

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

. He co-founded the aviation company "Top Air", one of Turkey's first private flight training schools, which educated hundreds of professional and amateur pilots. He later completely took over Top Air. His daughter Pelin Öztürk acquired her pilot license in 2011, and is working as a pilot-instructor in her father's flight school. Combining his photography experience with flying, Murat Öztürk became Turkey's first ever aerial photographer, and was awarded for his aerial imagery.

Aerobatic pilot

In 2010, he became interested in

. In 2012, Öztürk crashed with his

Pitts Special The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatics, aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes domina ...

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

at Hezarfen Airfield. After recovering from his injuries, he returned to flying. Since February 2013, Öztürk used to display aerobatics with his two-seat Pitts Special S-2B, registration TC-AYT, which he had purchased shortly before. After signing a sponsorship deal with an

energy drink An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving pe ...

company in 2013, he performed his first aerobatic show above

Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower (), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turk ...

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

on 28 April 2013. He then took part at an air show of the

Turkish Stars The Turkish Stars () are the aerobatic demonstration team of the Turkish Air Force and the national aerobatics team of Turkey. The Turkish Stars is the seventh and final aerobatic team established under the Turkish Air Force. The team was formed ...

and Solo Türk held on 12 May 2013 at Hezarfen Airfield. To join an air show at the 2nd International Air Games Festival () in

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

, he took off from Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield on 15 May 2013. After a refueling stop at Eskişehir İnönü Airfield he flew to Ankara, where he visited the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Öztürk arrived in Adana on 16 May, flying via

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

Nevşehir Province Nevşehir Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province in central Turkey with its capital in Nevşehir. Its area is 5,485 km2, and its population is 317,952 (2024). Its adjacent provinces are Kırşehir Province, Kırşehir to the northwest ...

. In Adana, he performed a number of aerobatic shows over the city on 18 and 19 May in conjunction with the celebrations of the

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to commemorate Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun on May 19, 1919, which is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Indep ...

Death

Öztürk died on 19 May 2013, when his plane crashed into the ground and caught fire while performing a diving manoeuvre during the air show in Adana. His body was taken to Istanbul, where he was buried at the

Eyüp Cemetery The Eyüp Cemetery (), aka Eyüp Sultan Cemetery, is a historic burial ground located in the Eyüp district, on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the General Directorate of Foundations. One of the oldest and largest Musl ...

. He is survived by his wife Nilgün and daughter Pelin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozturk, Murat 1953 births 2013 deaths People from Konya Turkish photojournalists Turkish aviators Aerobatic pilots Turkish photographers Turkish businesspeople Sport deaths in Turkey Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Turkey Burials at Eyüp Cemetery Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2013 20th-century Turkish photographers 21st-century Turkish photographers