All 20 people on board a Turkish military cargo plane have been confirmed dead after the aircraft crashed in eastern Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, according to officials.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry confirmed that the C-130 military transport plane went down near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday.
“Our C-130 military cargo plane, which took off from Azerbaijan to return home, has crashed at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that there were “20 personnel on board, including the flight crew.”
Dramatic Video Shows Final Moments
🚨 A Turkish military plane crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijan border, killing all 20 aboard. 💔
Footage shows the plane spinning before impact. 🇹🇷 Erdogan mourns “our martyrs.”#TurkishMilitaryPlane #BreakingNews #Georgia #Turkey #PlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/3WzxKaHLde
— LoudFact (@loudfactcom) November 11, 2025
Footage shared by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the Turkish military plane spinning uncontrollably before striking the ground and erupting into flames. Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the crash site as bystanders watched the wreckage burn in a nearby field.
Reactions From Leaders
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed deep sorrow “for our martyrs,” noting that Turkey is working with Georgian authorities “to reach the wreckage,” as reported by state-run Anadolu Agency.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also extended condolences to his Turkish counterpart in a message posted on X.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili regarding ongoing search and rescue operations, according to the defence ministry.
Crash Location and Investigation
Georgia’s Interior Ministry confirmed the aircraft crashed in the Sighnaghi area, about five kilometres (3.1 miles) from the Azerbaijan border.
The country’s air traffic control agency, Sakaeronavigatsia, stated that the Turkish military plane vanished from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace and did not issue a distress signal.
“A Turkish C-130 aircraft disappeared from Sakaeronavigatsia’s radar a few minutes after entering Georgian airspace, without transmitting a distress signal,” the agency said. “Search and rescue operations were immediately initiated.”
Authorities said they notified the Ganja airport in Azerbaijan, where the plane had departed, and coordinated with Turkish officials during the rescue efforts.
About the C-130 Hercules
The C-130 Hercules is a widely used military transport aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Known for its durability and range, the aircraft is employed by numerous nations for troop movement, cargo transport, and humanitarian missions.
