Turkish authorities have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from a Libyan military aircraft that crashed near Ankara.
The accident claimed the lives of Libya’s Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Mohammed al Haddad, and four aides.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the recovery on Wednesday while speaking at the crash site.
Emergency call before contact was lost
The Falcon 50 aircraft took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport bound for Tripoli.
Minutes after departure, the crew requested an emergency landing due to an electrical failure.
Soon after, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft.
The jet was carrying eight people, including three crew members, following official talks in Ankara with Turkish military officials.
Wreckage spread over wide area
Security forces located the wreckage in the Haymana district, south of Ankara.
According to Yerlikaya, debris was scattered across nearly three square kilometers.
The voice recorder was recovered at 02:45 a.m.
The black box followed at 03:20 a.m.
The crash site lies about two kilometers south of the Kesikkavak neighborhood.
Large scale search and rescue effort
Search and rescue operations involved 408 personnel from multiple agencies.
These included AFAD, the gendarmerie, police units, health services, UMKE, and military commands.
Authorities deployed 103 ground vehicles and seven aircraft.
Thermal drones, lighting drones, K 9 units, and off road rescue vehicles worked in coordination from AFAD’s mobile center.
Investigation and Libyan participation
The Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched a formal investigation.
Four prosecutors were assigned under the coordination of a chief prosecutor.
Yerlikaya stated that the bodies remain at the wreckage site.
A 22 member Libyan delegation has arrived in Ankara to join the investigation.
The group includes family members of the victims and officials from Libya’s Interior Ministry.
Condolences and diplomatic context
“This is our duty as a state,” Yerlikaya said.
“The cause will be clarified and shared with our nation and the world.”
Turkey maintains close ties with the U.N. backed government in Tripoli.
Relations include economic cooperation and military coordination.
At the same time, Ankara has recently engaged with eastern Libyan actors.
Intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi in August.
