A joint Türkiye–Libya investigation has intensified after a private jet crashed near Ankara, killing Libya’s army chief of staff and seven others, as forensic delays stall funeral plans. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff from Ankara earlier this week, triggering emergency operations and a cross-border probe.
The jet, a Dassault Falcon 50 bound for Tripoli, took off from Ankara Esenboğa Airport on Tuesday. Minutes later, the crew reported an electrical failure and requested an emergency landing. Air traffic control redirected the aircraft back toward Ankara, but radar contact was lost as the plane descended. The wreckage was later discovered near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district. All eight people on board, including three crew members, were killed.
Search and rescue teams were deployed after Türkiye’s Interior Ministry activated emergency protocols. Multiple Turkish agencies joined the investigation, securing the crash site and beginning technical examinations of the debris.
On Thursday, Libya’s Criminal Investigation Department chief, Major General Mahmoud Ashour, led a delegation to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to coordinate the inquiry. Libyan officials met Turkish prosecutors overseeing the case, underscoring the political and military significance of the crash.
In Libya, plans to bury army chief Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad remain uncertain. Authorities initially expected funeral prayers to be held quickly, but the timeline is shifting due to the condition of the remains. Libyan officials say DNA testing is required because the impact scattered debris across a wide area, slowing identification and repatriation.
Officials and analysts describe Al-Haddad as a central figure in efforts to strengthen military institutions in western Libya, a region long fractured by rival armed groups. His death has heightened tensions and prompted calls for transparency as investigators work to determine whether the malfunction was mechanical or caused by other factors.
The investigation is ongoing, with both governments pledging full cooperation as families await answers and the return of the victims’ bodies.
