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A business jet carrying Libya's chief of general staff crashed near Ankara on Tuesday evening after reporting an emergency, Turkish officials confirmed. Five people were aboard the aircraft, including Libyan General Muhammed Ali Ahmed AL-Haddad, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
The Falcon 50 jet, tail number 9H-DFJ, departed Esenboga Airport at 8:10 p.m. local time bound for Tripoli. Contact with the aircraft was lost at 8:52 p.m., Yerlikaya said in a statement.
"The aircraft sent an emergency landing notification near Haymana; however, contact could not be re-established afterwards," the minister said, adding that the public would be informed of further developments.
Turkish authorities closed Ankara airspace to traffic following the incident and deployed search and rescue teams to the area. The crash site is believed to be in the vicinity of Haymana, a district located approximately 75 kilometers south of the capital.
Turkish gendarmerie forces located the aircraft wreckage approximately 2 kilometers south of Kesikkavak Village in Haymana district, Yerlikaya announced on social media. The remote location required coordinated search efforts by emergency responders who had been deployed following the loss of contact with the aircraft.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Aldabaiba confirmed the deaths of all five passengers in a statement expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy that occurred during their return from an official visit to Ankara.
In addition to Al-Haddad, the victims included Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Major General Al-Faituri Ghraibil, Director of the Military Manufacturing Agency Brigadier Mahmoud Al-Qatiwi, Chief of Staff Advisor Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, and media office photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.
"This great loss is a tremendous loss for the homeland, for the military institution, and for all the people, as we have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication," Aldabaiba stated. The prime minister extended condolences to the families of the deceased and their colleagues in the armed forces, describing the victims as exemplars of discipline, responsibility and national commitment.
Al-Haddad had visited Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler earlier Tuesday during an official trip to Ankara. The Libyan commander traveled to Türkiye at the invitation of Turkish Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
The meeting between Al-Haddad and Guler also included Turkish Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel. The visit appeared to be part of ongoing military cooperation between Türkiye and Libya's Tripoli-based government.
The sequence of events began when the Falcon 50 communicated a technical issue to air traffic controllers after departure. The emergency landing notification near Haymana indicated the crew was attempting to divert the aircraft, but all communication ceased before controllers could provide further assistance.
The Falcon 50 is a French-built business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, capable of carrying up to nine passengers. The twin-engine aircraft has been in service since 1976 and is commonly used for executive transport and government operations.
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