Investigation Begins Into Turkish Jet Crash That Killed Libya’s Top Western Military Commander

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Investigators have begun examining the flight recorders recovered from a private jet that crashed in Turkey this week, killing eight people including western Libya’s highest-ranking military official, Turkish authorities said Thursday. The investigation is being conducted in close coordination with Libyan officials as both countries seek to determine the cause of the deadly accident.

The aircraft went down on Tuesday shortly after taking off from Ankara, Turkey’s capital, killing all on board. Among the victims was Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, the chief of staff of Libya’s forces in the west of the country, along with four other Libyan military officers and three crew members. Libyan authorities have said initial indications point to a technical malfunction on the plane, though officials stressed that the analysis of the black boxes will be critical in confirming what went wrong.

Turkey’s defense ministry confirmed that experts had started reviewing data from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. Officials said the process was being carried out jointly with Libyan representatives, including members of a delegation that arrived in Turkey to support the inquiry and assist with identification and repatriation efforts.

The crash site posed significant challenges for recovery teams. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the wreckage was scattered across an area of roughly three square kilometers, complicating search operations and the retrieval of debris and flight recorders. Emergency crews worked through difficult conditions to secure the area and collect evidence needed for the investigation.

General al-Haddad was a central figure in Libya’s fragile political and security landscape. As the top military commander in the west, he played a key role in United Nations-backed efforts to reunify Libya’s armed forces, which have remained divided for years along the same lines as the country’s rival political institutions. His death represents a major blow to those efforts and raises new questions about the future of military coordination in western Libya.

The Libyan delegation aboard the jet had been returning to Tripoli after a series of defense talks in Ankara aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Turkey and Libya. Those discussions reflected Ankara’s long-standing support for Libya’s western-based government, which it has backed politically and militarily since the country’s civil conflict escalated following the fall of Moammar Gadhafi.

A 22-member Libyan delegation, including five relatives of those killed in the crash, arrived in Turkey early Wednesday to participate in the investigation and oversee arrangements following the deaths. Officials said coordination between Turkish and Libyan authorities remains ongoing as the probe continues.

Libya has struggled with instability since the 2011 uprising that ended Gadhafi’s four-decade rule. The country later fractured into rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by armed groups and competing foreign powers. While Turkey has been the principal international supporter of the western authorities, it has also recently moved to improve relations with the eastern-based government as part of broader diplomatic efforts in the region.

As investigators analyze the black box data, officials in both countries say it is too early to draw definitive conclusions. The findings are expected to shed light on the final moments of the flight and determine whether mechanical failure, human error or other factors contributed to one of the deadliest aviation incidents involving Libyan officials in recent years.