| Date | 3 November 1996 |
|---|---|
| Location | Susurluk, Balıkesir Province, Turkey |
| Outcome | Abdullah Çatlı, Huseyin Kocadağ, and Gonca Us dead; Sedat Bucak injured; leads to Susurluk scandal |
The Susurluk car crash was a car crash that took place on 3 November 1996 in the small town of Susurluk, in Turkey's Balıkesir Province. It resulted in the deaths of three of the passengers: Abdullah Çatlı, a former ultra-rightist militant wanted by police for multiple murders and drug trafficking; Huseyin Kocadağ, a senior police official; and beauty queen and Çatlı's girlfriend Gonca Us. Sedat Bucak, an MP, suffered a broken leg and fractured skull but survived the accident.[1] The Susurluk crash was a key event in the unravelling of the deep state in Turkey. The peculiar associations of the crash victims and their links with Interior Minister Mehmet Ağar led to a number of investigations, including a parliamentary investigation, of what became known as the Susurluk scandal.