Military Plane Crashes In Georgia Killing All Passengers On Board

All 20 individuals aboard a Turkish military cargo aircraft have perished after the plane went down in eastern Georgia, close to the boundary with Azerbaijan.

Turkey’s defence ministry verified that every member of the crew on the C-130 Hercules aircraft lost their lives when the American-built plane abruptly crashed on Tuesday, November 11. An inquiry has been initiated to determine the reason for the accident, which marks Turkey’s most fatal military event since 2020.

Video recorded just prior to the incident seemed to depict the aircraft spinning downward with a streak of white smoke before it exploded into flames on hitting the ground in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality.

As stated by Georgia’s air traffic control authority, the aircraft vanished from radar soon after departing from the city of Ganja in Azerbaijan. Authorities indicated that the pilots issued no emergency signals before the collision.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced sorrow regarding the disaster, stating:

“God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum hardships. May God rest the souls of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers.”

Defence Minister Yasar Guler likewise affirmed the deaths, declaring:

“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025, when our C-130 military cargo plane, which had taken off from Azerbaijan en route to our country, crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border.”

Tributes have flooded in from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack.

The Hercules C-130, produced by Lockheed Martin, is extensively employed by armed forces worldwide for moving soldiers and supplies. The U.S. defence company has offered condolences and committed to supporting Turkey in the probe.

Accounts suggest. Reports indicate the plane was a 57-year-old C-130 formerly operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force. Turkey and Azerbaijan share strong military and political connections, with the two nations working in close partnership on regional security issues, especially in the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

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