No signs of attack in Turkish military plane crash on Georgia-Azerbaijan border

ANKARA

A gendarmerie forensic report said that there was no evidence of external interference or explosive in the crash of a Turkish military cargo plane that killed 20 soldiers on the Azerbaijan-Georgia border late last year, the authorities announced on April 3.

The C-130 aircraft, en route from Azerbaijan to Türkiye, went down in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality near the Azerbaijani border on Nov. 11, 2025. It departed Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan, but crashed shortly after crossing into eastern Georgia.

The military personnel aboard were part of a unit traveling to Azerbaijan to participate in Victory Day celebrations, commemorating Azerbaijan’s 2020 military success over Armenia in the Karabakh conflict, a territorial dispute that lasted nearly four decades.

While the Ankara prosecutor’s office continues its investigation, the gendarmerie’s forensic report on the wreckage was added to the case file, local media reported on April 3.

No shrapnel or damage patterns consistent with nearby detonation of ammunition were found, the report said, detailing the results of initial technical examinations of the crash site.

There was no evidence of improvised explosive devices or components related to such devices, it noted.

The investigation found no traces of accelerants, petroleum-based fire starters, or any suspicious chemical substances in the wreckage.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Air Force’s Evaluation and Inspection Directorate continues to examine the cause of the crash.

Technical analyses are being carried out simultaneously in Georgia and Türkiye, with findings from expert units being meticulously evaluated. Following international standards, a preliminary crash investigation report will be issued first, followed by a final report.

The probe also includes forensic examinations of the digital materials and phones of the victims.

Georgian aviation authority earlier said that the contact with the plane was lost a few minutes after it entered its airspace and that no distress call had been issued.

Video footage broadcast on Turkish media appeared to show the aircraft spiraling downward, leaving a trail of white smoke. The wreckage was scattered across farmland surrounded by hills, with debris spread over multiple locations.

C-130 military cargo planes are a mainstay of the Turkish Armed Forces, commonly used for personnel transport and logistical operations. The plane was manufactured in 1968 and initially served in Saudi Arabia. It was added to the Turkish Armed Forces inventory in 2010.