Türkiye grounds C-130 military transport fleet following Georgia crash

Türkiye has temporarily suspended all flights of its C-130 military transport aircraft in the wake of a recent crash in Georgia, pending the outcome of a formal investigation.

Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for the Turkish Defence Ministry, confirmed the suspension to local media, noting that the ill-fated aircraft was transporting personnel and equipment intended for aircraft maintenance. He clarified that no ammunition was on board at the time of the incident, Caliber.Az reports.

“It is still too early to determine the cause of the crash,” Aktürk said. “A comprehensive investigation will reveal the reasons behind this tragic event.”

He further reported that the aircraft’s black boxes—the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)—have been returned to Türkiye for detailed examination. The devices are set to be analyzed in Ankara as part of the investigation process.

All 20 personnel on board the Turkish military cargo plane en route from Azerbaijan to Türkiye that crashed in Georgia on November 11 were killed.

The C-130 plane crashed in the eastern Georgian municipality of Sighnaghi, close to the border with Azerbaijan, shortly after taking off from Ganja. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.

A Turkish accident investigation team reached the crash site and was inspecting the wreckage of the plane, in coordination with Georgian authorities, a source at the Turkish defence ministry said.

By Vafa Guliyeva