A Turkish military C-130 cargo plane, carrying 20 personnel, crashed in eastern Georgia on Tuesday, claiming the lives of all those on board. Both Turkiye and Azerbaijan, key regional allies, have confirmed the tragic loss of life following the accident near the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.
The aircraft, a four-engine turboprop widely used for personnel transport, was traveling back to Turkiye after taking off from Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan. The Turkish Defence Ministry confirmed 20 military personnel, including the flight crew, were on the plane. Unconfirmed reports also suggested the presence of Azerbaijani personnel.
The fatal crash occurred in the Sighnaghi municipality of the Kakheti region, approximately five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the state border. Dramatic footage circulating on local media showed the aircraft breaking up in mid-air and spiraling downward, leaving a trail of smoke before impacting the ground and erupting in a large plume of black smoke.
Georgian air traffic control, Sakaeronavigatsia, stated that the C-130 disappeared from radar screens just minutes after entering Georgian airspace and failed to transmit any distress signal before going down.
Following the devastating event, Georgian authorities swiftly launched an investigation under the country’s criminal code, specifically citing the violation of air transport safety rules resulting in human casualties. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that his Georgian counterpart, Gela Geladze, personally arrived at the scene to oversee the coordinated search and rescue efforts.
Both nations’ leaders expressed deep sorrow. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered his condolences “for our martyrs,” while Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev shared his country’s profound shock over the “loss of life of our soldiers.” The close coordination between Turkish and Georgian authorities ensured that a Turkish crash investigation team was quickly dispatched and the wreckage site was secured.
The full details of the crash, including the definitive cause for the mid-air breakup, remain subject to the ongoing joint investigation.
