UPDATED
00:09
The aircraft remained at Ganja Airport for roughly two hours
before departure, according to exclusive information obtained by
“AnewZ”. During this time, the crew carried out necessary technical
maintenance and pre-flight preparations near the aircraft. The
report says no third parties were allowed into the area, and all
security protocols were reportedly followed.
The aircraft was transporting members of the Turkish Air Force
who had provided support to the F-16 fighter jets taking part in
the Victory Day military parade in Baku on 8 November, along with
mechanical spare parts for those aircraft. Sources confirm that
there were no explosives on board, and no signs of external
interference or detonation were found in the debris. The same
conclusion is supported by video footage circulating online showing
the moment the aircraft fell, which displays no evidence of an
explosion.
Besides, investigators are considering two primary possible
causes of the crash:
The first relates to the age of the aircraft, which had been in
service for more than 50 years and had last undergone major
maintenance in 2020. Experts note that corrosion or metal fatigue
could have caused a structural failure during flight, similar to
the 2017 crash of a US Marine Corps KC-130, which broke apart in
mid-air after the failure of a propeller blade.
The second possibility concerns the loading process. In
transport aircraft, improperly secured cargo can shift during
flight, disrupting balance and causing vibration, which may damage
the fuselage and lead to structural failure.
Sources told the local media outlets that the aircraft’s black
box was recovered from the crash site. The device will be sent for
decoding, and the findings will be made public once the analysis is
completed. Officials from Türkiye, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are said
to be working closely to identify the precise cause of the
incident.
Investigators have so far found no evidence of an explosion or
sabotage, and initial assessments point to a technical or
mechanical failure. Conclusions will be announced after the flight
recorder data is analysed and the joint investigation report is
published.
—
16:54
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence announced that a C-130
cargo aircraft flying from Azerbaijan to Türkiye has crashed in
Georgia. Search and rescue operations have begun in coordination
with the Georgian authorities.
On President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions, Prime Minister Ali
Asadov contacted the Georgian Prime Minister regarding the crash of
the Turkish aircraft.
Prime Minister Ali Asadov stated that Azerbaijan is ready to
provide all necessary support for eliminating the consequences of
the crash, conducting search and rescue operations, deploying the
relevant personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of
Azerbaijan to the area, and taking any other required measures.
President Erdoğan noted that Türkiye is working in coordination
with Georgia to locate the remains of the crashed military
transport aircraft.
The soldiers on board were those who had participated in the
parade held in Baku. They were returning to Istanbul.
Military channels report that an American C-130J-30 aircraft was
flying near Tbilisi. It was accompanied by an unidentified drone
and a helicopter. They reportedly remained in the air for about 40
minutes.