Libya’s Top Military Chief, 4 Others die in Turkey Plane Crash
Libya’s Top Military Chief, 4 Others die in Turkey Plane Crash
The Libyan army’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash in Turkiye while returning from an official visit to Ankara.
Turkish officials said the private aircraft, which was heading back to Tripoli on Tuesday, requested an emergency landing due to an electrical failure just minutes after takeoff, but then lost contact.
The crash, which also killed four senior Libyan military officials and three crew members, has sent shockwaves across Libya, where General al-Haddad was seen as a unifying figure amid deep political divisions. The Libyan government has announced three days of national mourning
Burhanettin Duran, Turkiye’s head of communications, said the Dassault Falcon 50 jet departed Ankara Esenboga Airport at 17:17 GMT on Tuesday, bound for Tripoli.
At 17:33 GMT, it notified air traffic control of an electrical malfunction and declared an emergency, according to his statement. The jet was 37 years old, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.
Controllers directed the aircraft back towards Esenboga and initiated emergency protocols, but it vanished from radar at 17:36 GMT while descending to land, and communication was lost, Duran said.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said it was earlier reported that the plane requested an emergency landing while flying over Ankara’s Haymana district.
Yerlikaya added that the wreckage was later located near Kesikkavak village in the area. Search and rescue teams reached the crash site after operations were launched by the Interior Ministry.
The Interior Minister later said that authorities had recovered cockpit voice and flight data recorders, collectively known as black boxes. An investigation is underway to “fully clarify” the cause of the crash, he told reporters in Ankara.
Investigations into the cause are continuing with the participation of all relevant agencies, Duran said. Turkiye has appointed four prosecutors to lead the probe, and Yerlikaya noted that 408 personnel were deployed for the search and recovery effort.
A group of military officials from Libya is carrying out inspections at the crash site, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
All people on board died in the crash. In addition to al-Haddad, seven others died in the crash, including four senior Libyan military officials and three crew members;
1. General al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces.
2. Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Qatawi, director of the Military Manufacturing Authority.
3. Muhammad al-Asawi Diab, senior military adviser.
4. Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer.
