Ankara, Turkey – The Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, General Mohammed Ali al-Haddad, and four of his aides have died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Ankara, Turkey. Turkish authorities have confirmed the discovery of the wreckage and the bodies of all those on board.
According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the wreckage of the aircraft was located by Turkish Gendarmerie forces approximately two kilometers south of the village of Kisikavak in the Haymana district. The Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, as stated by Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc.
A Turkish government source confirmed that Ankara has informed the Libyan side that all passengers on board the aircraft, which included General al-Haddad, his advisor Mohammed al-Asawi Diab, Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Staff Major General Al-Fitouri Guraibil, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority, Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Qutaiwi, and photographer Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, were killed. They were reportedly returning from an official visit in Ankara.
Libyan State Minister for Communication, Walid al-Lafi, stated that the aircraft was not Libyan-owned but rather a chartered plane. Initial reports suggest a technical malfunction may have been the cause of the crash, as the pilot reportedly notified air traffic control of a technical fault shortly after takeoff. Al-Lafi emphasized that General al-Haddad was in Ankara on an official invitation from his Turkish counterpart.
Earlier, the Turkish Interior Minister announced that contact with the aircraft was lost shortly after its departure from Ankara, en route to Tripoli. The plane took off at 17:10 GMT and lost radio contact at 17:52 GMT. The pilot had requested an emergency landing in the Ankara area before communication was severed.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
