Turkey grounds C-130 military cargo planes after fatal crash

The National Defense Ministry has suspended all flights of its C-130 military cargo planes following a deadly crash on Nov 11 that killed 20 personnel.

The decision was taken as a precaution, the ministry said today in a written statement.

The aircraft, which was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey, crashed over Georgian territory near the Azerbaijan-Georgia border. The ministry said contact with the aircraft was lost shortly after its last radio communication with Tbilisi air traffic control at 1.50 pm local time (GMT+3). The crash site was identified at 2.34 pm.

The plane had taken off earlier from Azerbaijan, transporting a maintenance crew for Turkish F-16s that participated in Azerbaijan's Victory Day celebrations, along with various aircraft maintenance equipment.

The ministry confirmed that the aircraft's black box had been recovered and brought to Turkey yesterday for analysis. The exact time and cause of the crash will be determined following a technical investigation. 

Maintenance

The ministry also addressed speculation regarding the aircraft’s condition and origin. It stated that the C-130 was purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and put into use after undergoing modernization.

“The claims that the aircraft had been decommissioned by Saudi Arabia are not true,” the statement read. “These aircraft undergo regular maintenance by our country and are currently in active use by more than 70 countries worldwide.”

The ministry added that the crashed aircraft had received the Erciyes avionics modernization package and had undergone all scheduled maintenance, including body, engine, and propeller checks. The most recent maintenance was conducted between Sep 11 and Oct 12, 2025. (VK)