A C-130 military cargo plane of the Turkish Armed Forces crashed Tuesday near the Georgian-Azerbaijani border while returning to Turkish territory, the Eurasian country’s Defence Ministry confirmed. The aircraft had taken off from Azerbaijan on a routine logistics mission and disappeared from radar while flying over Georgian airspace.
In a statement released on X and quoted by Turkish media, the Turkish defence ministry said that “our C-130 military transport plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, has crashed on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border“, adding that an extensive search and rescue operation had been deployed in coordination with the Georgian authorities. Ankara did not immediately specify the number of casualties, but confirmed that 20 military personnel, including crew members, were on board.
The Georgian Interior Ministry also confirmed the crash of “a Turkish military plane” flying towards Türkiye, stating that it went down “about 5 kilometres from Georgia’s state border” with Azerbaijan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hinted that there were casualties when he announced the news at a public event: “Our work continues in coordination with the national authorities to gain access to the wreckage. May God rest the souls of our martyrs,” he said. Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev also expressed his sorrow for the loss of the servicemen in a condolence message, and offered all necessary assistance in the rescue efforts.
Turkish official sources said that the investigation to clarify the causes of the Turkish military plane accidente is ongoing, although initial assessments suggest that the plane crash may have been caused by adverse weather conditions or a possible technical failure, although there is no clear conclusion at this stage. Images released by Turkish media showed the C-130 – an aircraft used in logistical and personnel transport operations for the Turkish Armed Forces – spiralling out of control and leaving a trail of white smoke in its wake.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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