Turkish investigation team returns after Georgia C-130 crash probe

A Turkish military team has returned home following an investigation into the crash of a C-130 transport aircraft in Georgia.

According to Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence, the team completed its examination of the aircraft that went down on November 11 near the Azerbaijan–Georgia border, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

The wreckage is now being transferred to the Second Directorate of the Main Repair Plant in Kayseri for further analysis.

The C-130, en route from Azerbaijan, was carrying 20 Turkish military personnel, including the flight crew. Tragically, there were no survivors.

The aircraft, tail number 68‑1609, departed from Ganja, Azerbaijan, with an F‑16 maintenance team on board, and lost contact soon after entering Georgian airspace.

According to official statements, there was no distress call, suggesting a sudden in‑flight failure. Georgian authorities reported that the wreckage was scattered over a large area in the Sighnaghi municipality – leading investigators to conclude the plane broke apart mid-air. 

The aircraft crashed into three parts, and Turkish and Georgian rescue teams secured the site.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered and sent to Ankara for analysis.

By Aghakazim Guliyev