The “Helicopter” Case: Military Helicopter Crash near Surčin

Category: Victims of negligence

Period: from 13 Mar 2015

Outcome: No one investigated (as of 13 Mar 2026)

On the night of 13 March 2015, a Mi-17 military helicopter carrying a sick baby from Novi Pazar crashed in fog near Nikola Tesla Airport; seven people were killed, including the baby. The decision for the helicopter to take off was made by Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić, and shortly before landing the pilot was redirected from the Military Medical Academy (VMA) helipad to the civilian airport, where, according to published transcripts, Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar was waiting. Military commissions blamed the crew, a disciplinary penalty against two generals was overturned, and the prosecution concluded there were no grounds for criminal proceedings: as of March 2026, no one has been held accountable.

Crash in the fog near Surčin

On the night of 13 March 2015, a Mi-17 military helicopter carrying a sick baby from Novi Pazar, flying in from Raška, crashed in fog near Nikola Tesla Airport in Surčin. Seven people were killed: four crew members, a doctor, an anaesthetic technician and a five-day-old baby.

The ministers' decisions and the landing site

Defence Minister Bratislav Gašić made the decision for the helicopter to take off; Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar initiated the medical transport. The pilot asked to land at the Military Medical Academy helipad, but about 20 minutes before landing he was redirected to the civilian airport, where, according to published transcripts, Lončar was expected.

That same night, a false report was published saying the helicopter had landed and the minister had met the baby.

The commissions' findings

Military commissions named human error as the main cause and placed responsibility on the crew, along with failures in planning and directing the flight. Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said he “would not give up” Gašić and Lončar.

No one held accountable

The Military Disciplinary Court barred two generals from promotion, but that ruling was overturned on appeal. In June 2016, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade decided there were no grounds for criminal proceedings, and the National Assembly rejected a parliamentary inquiry committee.

As of March 2026, no one had been held accountable, and no memorial to the victims had been built.

Participants

Bratislav Gašić: As defence minister, he ordered the flight and, according to the commission, said to go ahead even though standard procedure had not been followed (responsible)
Zlatibor Lončar: According to General Bandić, he had announced he would attend the landing; he rejected claims that the operation was a publicity stunt (commented on the case)
Predrag Bandić: He issued the flight order to the crew even though, according to the commission, he had reported that procedure was not followed, and he decided on the landing at Nikola Tesla Airport (responsible)
Ranko Živak: Over failures in planning and directing the flight, the General Staff commission recommended proceedings against him; a military court penalised him, but the ruling was overturned (responsible)
Aleksandar Vučić: He defended Gašić and Lončar and said he was taking responsibility (commented on the case)
Ana Brnabić: She said the baby “would certainly, I presume, have died” if the helicopter had not been sent up (commented on the case)
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia: It published the commissions' reports and transcripts of communications about the flight (commented on the case)
Serbian Armed Forces: According to the commission, it sent the flight out in weather below meteorological minimums; the commission attributed the main cause of the crash to the crew (responsible)
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia: According to a FoNet journalist, a report that the helicopter had landed came from its press release; it was published before the news of the crash and then deleted (commented on the case)
National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia: It rejected the opposition's request to set up an inquiry committee to establish the circumstances of the helicopter crash (responsible)
Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Special Department for Combating Corruption: It decided there were no grounds for criminal proceedings, reasoning that failures in the chain of command carried no criminal weight, at most disciplinary (responsible)
Military Disciplinary Court: It barred Živak and Bandić from promotion; the ruling was later overturned (investigation and courts)