All 20 people on board a Turkish military cargo plane have died after the aircraft crashed in eastern Georgia, near the border with Azerbaijan.

 

 

 

Turkey’s defence ministry confirmed that all personnel aboard the C-130 Hercules plane were killed when the American-made aircraft suddenly went down on Tuesday, November 11. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash, which has become Turkey’s deadliest military incident since 2020.

 

 

 

Footage captured moments before the crash appeared to show the plane spiralling down with a trail of white smoke before it burst into flames upon impact in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality.

 

 

 

According to Georgia’s air traffic control agency, the plane disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from the city of Ganja in Azerbaijan. Officials said the pilots did not send any distress signals before the crash.

 

 

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed grief over the tragedy, saying:

 

 

 

“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 also confirmed the fatalities, saying:

 

 

 

“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.”

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

The Hercules C-130, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is widely used by militaries across the world for transporting troops and equipment. The U.S. defence firm has expressed condolences and pledged to assist Turkey with the investigation.

 

 

 

Reports suggest the aircraft was a 57-year-old C-130 previously used by the Royal Saudi Air Force. Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military and political ties, with both countries cooperating closely on regional security matters, particularly following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.