مقتل 20 عسكرياً تركياً في تحطم طائرة شحن شرق جورجيا

Turkish Air Force military airplane crashed near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border on Tuesday, resulting in the death of the entire crew on board.

Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that a C-130 military cargo plane, departing from Azerbaijan for Türkiye, crashed in Georgia about 40 minutes after leaving the airfield in Azerbaijan's Ganja city.

On Wednesday, the ministry reported 20 members of the plane crew died when the military cargo plane crashed in the Kakheti region of Georgia, roughly 5 kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan.

Teams, in coordination with Georgian authorities and including Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), dispatched to the area began search, rescue, and investigation operations in the mountainous terrain of Sighnaghi Municipality.

Georgian Interior Minister Gela Geladze arrived at the crash site and Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also reached the location.

A security cordon was established around a large area, with multiple ambulances and fire trucks sent to the scene.

Media reports, later on Wednesday, noted that plane's black box had been recovered.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Emergency Situations, General Colonel Kamaladdin Heydarov, discussed the situation in a phone conversation with Minister Geladze.

Minister Heydarov emphasized that, in accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, the Ministry of Emergency Situations is fully prepared to immediately join the search and rescue operation and take any necessary supporting measures.

President Aliyev, as well as the Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers, the Chief of General Staff, and the Parliamentary Speaker of Azerbaijan have conveyed condolences to Türkiye over the tragic incident.

Official statements on the possible cause of the crash are yet to be released, however, analyst speculations pointed to several factors.

Türkiye-based Terror and Security Expert Coşkun Başbuğ suggested three potential factors: a technical malfunction, pilot error, or adverse weather conditions. He noted that sabotage or a mid-air collision between two aircraft could not be ruled out.

According to exclusive information obtained by AnewZ, the aircraft remained at Ganja Airport for about two hours prior to departure.

During that period, the crew reportedly performed routine maintenance and pre-flight preparations. No unauthorized personnel were granted access, and all safety procedures were said to have been followed.

The aircraft was carrying members of the Turkish Air Force tasked with servicing the F-16 fighter jets that participated in the Victory Day military parade in Baku on November 8, along with mechanical spare parts for those jets.

AnewZ sources confirmed that there were no explosives on board and no evidence of external interference or detonation was found among the wreckage. Video footage circulating online of the aircraft shows no visible signs of an explosion.

Based on information obtained by AnewZ, investigators are focusing on two primary hypotheses.

The first concerns the aircraft’s age – it had been in operation for over 50 years, with its most recent major overhaul completed in 2020. Experts suggest that corrosion or metal fatigue might have led to structural failure mid-flight, similar to the 2017 crash of a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130, which broke apart due to a ruptured propeller blade.

The second possible cause involves issues during cargo loading. In transport planes, improperly secured cargo can shift while in the air, creating imbalance and vibrations that may lead to losing control, ultimately catastrophic failure.