Turkey confirms death of 20 aboard military plane crash in Georgia

Plane crashed after departing from Azerbaijan

According to Turkey’s Defence Ministry, the plane had departed from Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan on Tuesday afternoon, en route to Turkey, when it crashed in eastern Georgia.

The ministry said the aircraft was carrying 20 people, including flight crew members.

Defence Minister pays tribute to fallen soldiers

Defence Minister Yaşar Güler mourned the victims, saying:

“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on 11 November 2025 due to the crash of our C-130 military cargo aircraft, which had taken off from Azerbaijan to return to Turkey.”

He shared a tribute post on X (formerly Twitter) with photos of the 20 personnel who lost their lives.

Cause of crash under investigation

The Turkish government has not yet announced the cause of the accident. However, eyewitness videos published by Azerbaijani media showed the plane spinning horizontally and shedding debris before impact.

Wreckage found near Georgian border

Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the plane crashed in the Sighnaghi area, about five kilometres (3.1 miles) from the Georgian–Azerbaijani border.

Georgian air traffic control reported that the aircraft vanished from radar without sending a distress signal, and emergency services were the first to notify authorities of the crash.

Aircraft model: C-130 Hercules

The ill-fated aircraft was a C-130 Hercules, a widely used military cargo plane manufactured by US defence company Lockheed Martin. The C-130 is known for its versatility and reliability in transport missions, though investigations are now underway to determine what led to this tragedy.