Pilot's emergency signals preceded fatal Libyan jet crash near Ankara
ANKARA
A private jet carrying a Libyan military delegation crashed near Türkiye’s capital on Tuesday evening after the pilot reported an electrical failure, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
In a detailed statement on X, Uraloğlu explained that the aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 600 with tail number 5A-UZA and registered in Libya, departed Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport at 8:17 p.m. local time (1717 GMT) bound for Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, Libya.
The flight, call sign HMJ185, followed standard procedures and was cleared to cruise at 34,000 feet by 8:25 p.m. (1725 GMT).
At 8:31 p.m. (1731 GMT), while at approximately 32,000 feet, the pilot declared “PAN-PAN” three times—indicating an urgent but non-life-threatening situation—and reported a general electrical failure, requesting radar vectors to return to Ankara.
Air traffic control provided immediate instructions for an emergency return, including heading and descent profile.At 8:33 p.m. (1733 GMT), the pilot activated the emergency transponder code 7700.Shortly after, controllers lost the aircraft’s altitude data on radar.
Communications deteriorated by 8:34 p.m. (1734 GMT), prompting audio checks.
The plane was handed back to approach control after confirming descent for the emergency return.
At 8:35 p.m. (1735 GMT), the crew repeated “PAN-PAN” and contacted approach control, receiving updated vectors and descent levels.By 8:36 p.m. (1736 GMT), voice clarity worsened, becoming barely audible, with partial flight data losses on radar.
At 8:38 p.m. (1738 GMT), the aircraft vanished from radar.
Attempts over multiple frequencies for about five minutes yielded no response, leading to activation of search and rescue units.
As a precaution, all takeoffs and landings at Esenboğa were halted due to the potential emergency landing and lost position, with maximum emergency protocols enacted.
Air and ground search operations commenced immediately.
The Air Force Air Defense Notification Center confirmed the crash near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.
The Transportation Safety Investigation Center was dispatched in coordination with relevant agencies.
Examinations recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR).
A preliminary report is underway, with both recorders sent to France—a neutral country—for analysis to determine the cause.
“Once the investigation is completed, all findings will be shared transparently with our nation and the international community,” Uraloğlu said.
“We pray for God’s mercy for those who lost their lives in this tragic accident and extend our condolences to the friendly and fraternal state of Libya and its people.”
Deceased army chief of Libya
The bodies were transferred to the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute.
The deceased include Libya’s Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Mohamed al-Haddad, four other Libyan military delegation members and three crew (total eight fatalities).
Autopsies began after examinations by authorities from both countries.DNA samples from relatives will aid identification.The remains are set for repatriation following a ceremony at Akıncı Air Base on Wednesday.
National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler paid a condolence visit to officials who arrived in Ankara to receive the remains of the Libyan military delegation.
In a post shared on Turkish social media NSosyal, the ministry said that the Libyan military officials and the families of those who lost their lives came to Türkiye to receive the remains.
The statement said Chief of the General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroglu also paid a condolence visit to the Libyan officials and families. Both Güler and Bayraktaroglu expressed sorrow over the accident and extended condolences to the families and the Libyan people.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also extended his condolences to Libya's Presidential Council Chairman Mohammad al-Manfi in a phone call over the plane crash
The president noted that recovery and investigation efforts at the crash site were "continuing without interruption."