Turkiye temporarily grounds C-130 planes after crash kills 20 military personnel

Investigators stand next to debris at a crash site of a Turkish military cargo plane in Georgia's Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

ANKARA, Turkiye — Turkiye has temporarily grounded its C-130 military cargo planes as a precaution, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday, following a crash in Georgia that claimed the lives of all 20 military personnel on board.

The cargo plane was flying from Ganja, Azerbaijan to Turkiye when it crashed in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border, on Tuesday. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

The military personnel were part of a unit responsible for the maintenance and repair of Turkish F-16 jets that had flown to Azerbaijan to participate in that country’s Victory Day celebrations. The event marked Azerbaijan’s 2020 military success over Armenia for control of the Karabakh region, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that had lasted nearly four decades.

The National Defense Ministry said C-130 flights were temporarily suspended to allow the aircraft to undergo detailed technical inspections. Only those who successfully pass the checks would be allowed to resume flying, the ministry said in a statement.

C-130 military cargo planes are widely used by Turkiye’s armed forces for transporting personnel and handling logistical operations.

Turkiye dispatched an accident investigation team to determine the cause of the crash. The ministry said the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice data recorder were sent to Turkiye and were under examination in Ankara.

The aircraft was purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and was added to Turkiye’s Air Force inventory in 2014 after undergoing maintenance procedures. It later underwent modernization and had been in use since 2022. Its most recent scheduled maintenance was completed on Oct. 12, the ministry said.

The ministry said there was no ammunition on board the aircraft when it crashed.

Debris from the aircraft was scattered across multiple locations, and the remains of the 20th victim were recovered on Thursday.

In Georgia, Interior Minister Gela Geladze said all critical components of the aircraft have been retrieved and were under examination as part of the investigation.

Over 1,000 people from Georgia and Turkiye participated in the rescue and investigation efforts, he said.

Funerals will be held after the remains are returned to Turkey and autopsies are completed.

The Associated Press