Libyan delegation joins Türkiye to inspect fatal plane crash in Ankara
Libyan and Turkish officials coordinated at the Ankara crash site as investigation efforts continued after the fatal jet accident.
A Libyan military delegation arrived in Ankara on Wednesday to inspect the wreckage of a private jet that crashed late on Tuesday, claiming the lives of Libya’s Chief of General Staff, General Mohamed Ali al-Haddad and seven others.
The high-ranking Libyan officials were met by representatives from Türkiye’s National Defence Ministry before travelling by minibus to the crash site in the Kesikkavak neighbourhood of Ankara’s Haymana district.
The Falcon 50 business jet, which was bound for Tripoli, went down shortly after departing from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport.
All eight people on board—including four Libyan officials and three crew members—perished in the accident.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that search and investigation teams recovered the aircraft’s black box and cockpit voice recorder early on Wednesday.
According to Yerlikaya, the wreckage is scattered across a debris field spanning approximately 3 square kilometres and experts have already begun evaluating the flight recorders to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
Hundreds of personnel work on scene
The recovery operation remains extensive, with Yerlikaya reporting that over 400 personnel, 103 ground vehicles, and seven aircraft are active at the scene.
In addition to the military inspectors, a 22-member Libyan delegation has arrived in the Turkish capital.
The Libyan group includes representatives from the Defence and Interior Ministries, as well as five relatives of the victims.
“We are also very curious about [the cause of the crash],” Yerlikaya stated, noting that the flight data will eventually reveal what happened and that authorities intend to share those findings publicly once the evaluation is complete.