Preliminary report finds Libyan jet hit hillside at high speed

ANKARA

Libyan military delegation members arrive at the wreckage site following the crash of a Libya-bound business jet carrying Libyan Chief of Staff General Muhammad al-Haddad, Ankara, Türkiye, Dec. 24, 2025. (AFP Photo)

Türkiye has completed a preliminary investigation report into the aircraft crash that killed a Libyan military delegation late last year, concluding that the jet slammed at high speed into a hillside while its engines were still running.

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara is leading a wide-ranging investigation into the Dec. 23, 2025, crash near the Haymana district of the capital, which killed Libyan Gen. Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al Haddad, four members of his entourage and three crew members.

According to the findings, the pilots had informed air traffic control of an electrical malfunction shortly after takeoff, but the aircraft crashed before it could return to the airport.

The damaged flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were taken to the United Kingdom for further examination, while Turkish authorities are also pursuing a parallel investigation.

The preliminary accident report said the Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft, tail number 9H-DFS, underwent its most recent maintenance by the operating company between Dec. 1 and 9, 2025 — approximately two weeks before the crash.

Following the incident, speculation emerged that the jet’s age and possible metal fatigue caused by inadequate maintenance may have played a role.

The report also stated that the aircraft struck a hill at an altitude of 1,252 meters “at high speed and in one piece, with its engines operating.”

Due to the severity of the impact, the report said, the aircraft’s kinetic energy could not be absorbed by the rocky terrain, causing it to explode. As a result, debris was scattered across an area of approximately 150,000 square meters.

Investigators noted that a brief flare-up was observed after the crash before extinguishing and that no signs of an in-flight fire were detected inside the aircraft.

While the preliminary report provides initial technical data on how the accident occurred, officials stressed that the definitive cause will be determined by a comprehensive final accident report, which is still pending.

Media reports published this month also said investigators have found no initial links to terrorism or foreign intelligence involvement in the crash.

Authorities questioned crew members who had operated the delegation’s inbound flight to Ankara, and background checks — including on a South Cypriot national, have so far yielded no evidence of affiliation with terrorist organizations or foreign espionage agencies.