Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters on Wednesday that the black box and voice recorder of a crashed plane, which was carrying Libya’s military brass, were found.
Yerlikaya was at the crash site in a village near central Ankara on Tuesday night to examine the scene and receive a briefing about efforts in the aftermath of the accident. A thick fog lingered over the site where parts of the plane were scattered across. The mist had engulfed the crash site before the incident as well, according to eyewitnesses speaking to media outlets. It is unclear whether the weather conditions contributed to the crash.
A private jet carrying Libya’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Mohammed al-Haddad and four other people crashed after takeoff from Ankara. The jet lost all radio contact after issuing an emergency landing alert near the Haymana district south of Ankara, Turkish officials said.
Yerlikaya said that the wreckage of a Falcon 50-type business jet, which took off from the Esenboğa Airport en route to Tripoli, was found by gendarmerie teams about 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) south of Kesikkavak village in Haymana. Al-Haddad and others were on an official visit to Ankara on Tuesday, where they met Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler.
Security forces located the wreckage overnight despite heavy rain and fog. Operations accelerated at daybreak, with gendarmerie units securing the area and preventing civilian access.
Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) set up a mobile coordination center at the site.
Libya's Government of National Unity declared three days of national mourning following the deaths.
Yerlikaya said there were eight people on board, including the crew, at the time of the crash. He said the plane reported a technical failure shortly after takeoff, at 20:32 p.m. local time. “The contact with the plane was lost near Haymana and upon a crash report, emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the area. Crews found the plane’s voice recording at 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday and the black box at 3:20 a.m.” Yerlikaya told journalists. He said authorities were examining the devices to determine the exact cause of the crash.
He stated a total of 408 personnel from AFAD, law enforcement, army, transportation authority, fire departments and aviation authorities were working at the crash site currently, noting that the crash site covered an area of about 3 square kilometers (1.16 square miles). Yerlikaya said a delegation also arrived from Libya, including families of crash victims and Libyan officials. “We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and brotherly Libya,” he added.
Separately, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that four prosecutors were assigned to the investigation into the crash.
