The engines of the plane carrying Libya’s top military officials, including Chief of General Staff General Muhammad Ali Al-Haddad, were still running when it crashed near Ankara on Dec. 23, 2025, killing all on board, according to findings of a preliminary investigation.
The investigation committee’s report was added to the investigation file of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Anadolu Agency reported on Jan. 22.
According to the report, the plane took off from Esenboğa Airport at 8:17 p.m. to return to Tripoli and the pilot reported an emergency to air traffic control at 8:33 p.m. due to a general electrical failure. The pilot diverted the flight back to Esenboğa for an emergency landing, but at 8:36 PM, the aircraft disappeared from radar and no further communication was possible.
'The aircraft crashed into a 1,252-meter-high hill at high speed with its engines running. Due to the intensity of the impact, the kinetic energy was not absorbed by the rocky terrain, causing the aircraft to explode. As a result, the wreckage was scattered in small pieces over an area of 150,000 square meters,' the investigation team said in its preliminary report.
A fire flared up after the plane crashed and went out shortly after. Other than that there were no signs of fire inside the aircraft, according to the report. The exact cause of the crash will become clear when the flight data and voice recordings which have been sent to London are analyzed, and a comprehensive final accident investigation report will be written.
Including three crew members and five high-ranking Libyan commanders, eight people died in the plane.
