All 20 on Board Turkish Military Cargo Plane Killed in Crash in Georgia
C-130 aircraft, en route from Azerbaijan to Türkiye, crashes near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border; investigations underway.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — All 20 personnel aboard a Turkish military cargo plane were killed when the aircraft crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, Türkiye’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler announced on Wednesday.
The C-130 military cargo plane had departed from Ganja, Azerbaijan, and was returning to Türkiye when it went down in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
A Turkish accident investigation team reached the crash site early Wednesday, coordinating with Georgian authorities to inspect the wreckage.
According to reports from Turkish private broadcaster NTV, debris was scattered across farmland surrounded by hills, covering multiple locations.
“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025, when our C-130 military cargo plane, which had taken off from Azerbaijan en route to our country, crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” Minister Guler said in a message posted on X, alongside photographs of the personnel killed.
The Georgian aviation authority told Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency that contact with the plane was lost a few minutes after it entered Georgian airspace, and no distress signal had been issued.
C-130 cargo planes are widely used by Türkiye’s armed forces for personnel transport and logistical operations.
The incident occurred amid close military ties between Türkiye and Azerbaijan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials had attended Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations in Baku on November 8, marking Azerbaijan’s military success in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
It was not immediately clear if any of the personnel on board the plane had participated in those ceremonies.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili offered condolences to their Turkish counterparts.
“We are deeply shocked by the news of the loss of life of our soldiers in the accident that occurred on Georgian soil,” Aliyev said, according to Anadolu Agency.
International leaders also expressed sympathy. U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack offered condolences and reaffirmed Washington’s solidarity with Ankara.
"Deeply saddened by today’s tragic crash of a Turkish Armed Forces aircraft. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen, the Turkish Armed Forces, and the people of Türkiye. The United States stands in solidarity with our Turkish allies," Barrack wrote on his X account.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte honored the military personnel killed and thanked all NATO personnel for their service.
"Deepest condolences to our Ally Türkiye and the loved ones of all those lost in the tragic crash of a Turkish military plane today. We honour their service and are deeply grateful for all that the Turkish Armed Forces - and indeed all our men and women in uniform across the Alliance - do to keep us safe every day," Rutte wrote on his X account.
No information has yet been released regarding funeral arrangements or when the remains of the fallen soldiers will be returned to Türkiye. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with Turkish and Georgian authorities working jointly at the site.
