A Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 people crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, not far from the border with Azerbaijan. Both Turkish and Georgian officials confirmed the crash but didn’t immediately say anything about casualties.
Turkish news showed dramatic footage, the plane spiralling toward the ground, leaving a streak of white smoke behind.
According to Turkey’s defense ministry, the C-130 had taken off from Azerbaijan and was heading back to Turkey when it went down. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted there were casualties, but he didn’t share any specifics.
Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense said there were 20 military personnel onboard, including the crew.
🇬🇪🇦🇿🇹🇷 TUAF543 | Turkish Air Force C-130 (reg. 68-01609) Aircraft tracked departing Ganja earlier today, later signal lost over Georgian territory.
Footage below apparently shows the crash of the same aircraft, currently under verification. pic.twitter.com/1Qjt0FiBtY
— Visioner (@visionergeo) November 11, 2025
Right after the crash, search and rescue teams from Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia started working together to find survivors. The Georgian Interior Ministry said the plane went down in the Sighnaghi municipality, close to Azerbaijan’s border, and that they’ve started an investigation.
Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened,” offering condolences for the “martyrs.” He added, “God willing, we’ll get through this accident with as little harm as possible.”
🇹🇷 Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules medium transport plane operated by the Turkish Air Force has crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry informed.
The plane was returning from Azerbaijan to Turkey, according to the Turkish side. pic.twitter.com/Fpqsg63J38
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) November 11, 2025
C-130s are a mainstay for Turkey’s military they use them all the time to move people and equipment. Turkey and Azerbaijan also have a history of close military ties.
