Türkiye has recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of a private jet that crashed near the capital Ankara on Tuesday, killing Libya’s army chief and others on board, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Yerlikaya said the wreckage was spread across an area of around three square kilometres.
“As a result of the work carried out at the scene by teams from the Transportation Safety Investigation Center of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the aircraft’s voice recorder was recovered in the wreckage area at 2.45 am (2345GMT Tuesday), and the black box was found at 3.20 am (local time),” he said.
The process of examining and evaluating these devices has begun, the minister added.
Yerlikaya said 408 personnel, supported by 103 ground vehicles and seven aircraft, were involved in the search and recovery operation.
He also confirmed that a 22-member Libyan delegation had arrived in Ankara, including relatives of the victims and officials from Libya’s defence and interior ministries.
“We are also very curious about [the cause of the crash],” Yerlikaya said. “However, this data will reveal the cause, and the authorities will share the findings with you.”
He offered condolences to the victims’ families and to the Libyan government and people, describing the incident as a “tragic accident”.
The Falcon 50 business jet had taken off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport bound for Tripoli. Its wreckage was found about two kilometres south of Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.
Libya’s Government of National Unity has declared three days of national mourning following the deaths.
