Turkey on Wednesday confirmed that 20 of its soldiers were killed when a military transport plane crashed in Georgia a day earlier, marking the country’s deadliest military disaster since 2020.
The C-130 cargo aircraft had departed from Azerbaijan bound for Turkey before crashing in Georgia’s Kakheti region on Tuesday, scattering twisted metal across a grassy hillside. It was one of the deadliest aviation accidents involving the Turkish Armed Forces in recent years.
Ankara has not yet provided an official cause for the crash but said Turkish and Georgian authorities began joint inspections of the wreckage site, located in Sighnaghu municipality, at 0330 GMT on Wednesday.
Footage from the area near the border with Azerbaijan showed ambulances, firetrucks, and military vehicles clustered around the charred fuselage as search-and-rescue teams combed the grounds.
Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show the aircraft breaking apart midair before spiraling toward the ground in flames.
On Wednesday, the Turkish Defence Ministry released the names of all 20 soldiers who lost their lives.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Germany, the United States, Russia, and other nations extended condolences and expressed solidarity with Turkey following the crash. Ankara said it was coordinating closely with Azerbaijan and Georgia as part of the ongoing investigation.
U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the C-130 Hercules, said it was committed to assisting with the probe.
The C-130 Hercules, one of the most widely used military transport aircraft in the world, is a four-engine turboprop capable of operating from rough or unprepared runways. Its versatile design allows it to carry troops, cargo, and equipment, as well as perform reconnaissance and airborne assault missions.
Preliminary Findings Point to Accident
Aviation analysts suggested that images from the crash site indicate the plane may have broken apart mid-flight. They noted that Turkey’s C-130 fleet is aging and in need of modernization, despite the model’s reputation for reliability.
“The footage appears to show the tail section separating in-flight and fuel streaming from the wingtip valves, suggesting the crew may have been dumping fuel for an emergency landing,” said Jarrod Phillips, a former U.S. Air Force C-130 specialist.
According to flight-tracking data and Turkish defence experts, the aircraft was 57 years old and had entered service with the Turkish Air Force in 2010.
Last month, Turkey’s Defence Ministry announced an agreement with Britain to acquire 12 newer C-130J aircraft. The planes will undergo maintenance and modernization in the United Kingdom before being delivered to Turkey.
In a similar incident in 2017, a U.S. KC-130T Hercules crashed in Mississippi, killing all 16 on board. Investigators found the cause to be a corroded propeller blade that failed after improper repairs.
Tuesday’s crash marks Turkey’s worst military loss since February 2020, when Russian-backed Syrian forces killed 33 Turkish troops in Idlib, northwest Syria. It is also the deadliest non-combat military incident the country has suffered in more than a decade.
