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Türkiye’s Defense Ministry on Thursday issued an extensive statement responding to misinformation surrounding the crash of a C-130 military cargo aircraft on the Azerbaijan–Georgia border, stressing that the cause will only be determined after the accident investigation team completes its work.
The crash on Nov. 11 killed all 20 personnel aboard.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk said the C-130E, tail number 68-1609, departed Kayseri’s 12th Air Transport Main Base Command at 9:02 a.m. for Azerbaijan’s city of Ganja to deliver personnel and equipment. It landed safely at 11:06 a.m.
The aircraft later departed at 1:15 p.m. for the 5th Main Jet Base Command in Merzifon with the 10-member F-16 maintenance team assigned to Victory Day events in Azerbaijan, along with additional crew and material, bringing the total number aboard to 20.
The final radio communication occurred at 1:50 p.m. with Tbilisi Air Traffic Control. Radar and radio contact were lost shortly afterward. At 2:34 p.m., Georgian authorities informed Türkiye that the aircraft had crashed south of Tbilisi, close to the Azerbaijan–Georgia border.
A Turkish UAV was dispatched immediately, while Georgian search and rescue teams reached the wreckage at 3:02 p.m. The site was secured at 5 p.m. for Turkish investigators.
Turkish accident and recovery teams reached the location early on Nov. 12 and confirmed that all 20 personnel had been killed.
The Defense Ministry strongly rejected online claims that the aircraft carried ammunition, stating that only personnel and aircraft maintenance materials were on board.
It also addressed accusations that the aircraft was “old” or inadequately maintained. The ministry said the plane was acquired from Saudi Arabia in 2012 as surplus, not decommissioned, and after modernisation, including the Erciyes Avionics upgrade, it reentered service in 2022.
Its most recent scheduled maintenance was performed from Sept. 11 to Oct. 12.
Akturk stressed that C-130 aircraft remain in active use in more than 70 countries and that the aircraft’s maintenance history shows planned body, engine and propeller work was completed on time.
The ministry denied claims that radar had detected another aircraft near the C-130 at the time of the crash.
It stated that the helicopter visible on radar belonged to Georgia and was dispatched after loss of contact to help locate the missing aircraft.
The flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVDR) were recovered from the debris and transported to Ankara for analysis.
As a precaution, all C-130 flights across Türkiye were suspended on Nov. 12 until technical inspections are completed.
Flights will resume only after each aircraft passes a full evaluation.
The ministry said the cause of the crash will be determined only after the accident investigation team completes its full technical inquiry.
It expressed gratitude to Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities for their rapid assistance and extended condolences to the families of the 20 fallen personnel, the Turkish Armed Forces and the nation.
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