Plane carrying Libya’s Chief of Staff crashes in central Ankara
A business jet carrying Libya’s Chief of Staff crashed near Ankara after losing contact shortly after takeoff, killing all five people on board, Turkish authorities said.
A Falcon 50 business jet carrying Libya’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, crashed in the Haymana district of Ankara province, with all five people on board confirmed dead.
The aircraft took off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport at 8:10 p.m. local time bound for Tripoli. Contact with the jet was lost at 8:52 p.m. after an emergency landing notification was received near Haymana, according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said wreckage of the aircraft was later located by gendarmerie units about two kilometers south of Kesikkavak village in the Haymana district.
Emergency signal before loss of contact
Yerlikaya earlier said the aircraft, tail number 9H-DFJ, reported an emergency landing request near Haymana but could not be reached again afterward. Search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area shortly after communication was lost.
Investigation launched
Turkey’s Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a formal investigation into the crash.
“One deputy chief prosecutor and four public prosecutors have been assigned. The investigation is being conducted thoroughly and with great care,” Tunç said in a statement.
Authorities to provide updates
Turkish officials said further information would be shared as the investigation progresses.
