Turkey has grounded its C-130 military cargo planes after one crashed in Georgia earlier this week, killing all 20 military personnel on board. The defence ministry called the move a “precautionary measure” as investigators search for answers.
The C-130 was flying from Ganja, Azerbaijan, to Turkey when it went down in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality, close to the Azerbaijani border, on Tuesday. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
The soldiers on board were part of a specialised unit responsible for maintaining Turkish F-16 fighter jets that had travelled to Azerbaijan for its Victory Day celebrations, marking the 2020 military win over Armenia in the Karabakh conflict.
The National Defence Ministry said all C-130 flights were “temporarily suspended to allow the aircraft to undergo detailed technical inspections.” Only those that “successfully pass the checks” will be cleared to fly again.
The C-130 Hercules, a workhorse of the Turkish Air Force, is used for troop transport and critical logistics missions across the country and beyond.
Turkey has dispatched an accident investigation team to the crash site, working with Georgian authorities. “The plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice data recorder were sent to Turkey and are under examination in Ankara,” the ministry said.
The aircraft was originally purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and added to Turkey’s Air Force fleet in 2014. It underwent modernisation and returned to service in 2022. The ministry said its latest scheduled maintenance was completed on October 12.
Officials confirmed there was no ammunition on board. Debris from the crash was strewn across several locations, with the remains of the final victim recovered on Thursday.
Georgia’s Interior Minister Gela Geladze said, “All critical components of the aircraft have been retrieved and are under examination as part of the investigation.” He added that more than 1,000 personnel from Georgia and Turkey took part in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Funerals for the 20 personnel will be held once their remains are returned to Turkey and autopsies are completed.
