Azernews.Az

UPDATED

13:34

Eighteen of the twenty Turkish servicemen who lost their lives in the crash of a C-130 military transport aircraft belonging to the Turkish Air Force in Georgia have been found.

Azernews reports, citing Turkish media outlets, Georgian Interior Minister Gela Geladze confirmed the discovery, adding that search operations continue for the remaining two servicemen.

00:09

The aircraft remained at Ganja Airport for roughly two hours before departure, according to exclusive information obtained by “AnewZ”. During this time, the crew carried out necessary technical maintenance and pre-flight preparations near the aircraft. The report says no third parties were allowed into the area, and all security protocols were reportedly followed.

The aircraft was transporting members of the Turkish Air Force who had provided support to the F-16 fighter jets taking part in the Victory Day military parade in Baku on 8 November, along with mechanical spare parts for those aircraft. Sources confirm that there were no explosives on board, and no signs of external interference or detonation were found in the debris. The same conclusion is supported by video footage circulating online showing the moment the aircraft fell, which displays no evidence of an explosion.

Besides, investigators are considering two primary possible causes of the crash:

The first relates to the age of the aircraft, which had been in service for more than 50 years and had last undergone major maintenance in 2020. Experts note that corrosion or metal fatigue could have caused a structural failure during flight, similar to the 2017 crash of a US Marine Corps KC-130, which broke apart in mid-air after the failure of a propeller blade.

The second possibility concerns the loading process. In transport aircraft, improperly secured cargo can shift during flight, disrupting balance and causing vibration, which may damage the fuselage and lead to structural failure.

Sources told the local media outlets that the aircraft’s black box was recovered from the crash site. The device will be sent for decoding, and the findings will be made public once the analysis is completed. Officials from Türkiye, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are said to be working closely to identify the precise cause of the incident.

Investigators have so far found no evidence of an explosion or sabotage, and initial assessments point to a technical or mechanical failure. Conclusions will be announced after the flight recorder data is analysed and the joint investigation report is published.

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16:54

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced that a C-130 cargo aircraft flying from Azerbaijan to Türkiye has crashed in Georgia. Search and rescue operations have begun in coordination with the Georgian authorities.

On President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions, Prime Minister Ali Asadov contacted the Georgian Prime Minister regarding the crash of the Turkish aircraft.
Prime Minister Ali Asadov stated that Azerbaijan is ready to provide all necessary support for eliminating the consequences of the crash, conducting search and rescue operations, deploying the relevant personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan to the area, and taking any other required measures.

President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye is working in coordination with Georgia to locate the remains of the crashed military transport aircraft.

The soldiers on board were those who had participated in the parade held in Baku. They were returning to Istanbul.

Military channels report that an American C-130J-30 aircraft was flying near Tbilisi. It was accompanied by an unidentified drone and a helicopter. They reportedly remained in the air for about 40 minutes.