Türkiye in contact with Germany for crashed jet’s black box

ANKARA

Türkiye has engaged in talks with Germany to examine the black box from the private jet crash that killed Libya’s military chief, Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said on Dec. 26.

The Falcon 50 business jet crashed shortly after departing Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport en route to Tripoli on Dec. 23, claiming the lives of the Libyan army chief of staff and seven others.

Türkiye has launched a comprehensive investigation into the accident. Prosecutors have requested expert reports to determine whether the aircraft, which reported an electrical failure before the crash, was airworthy.

Simultaneously, a thorough probe into the pilots’ backgrounds, sleep patterns and medications is underway.

For the integrity of the investigation, Türkiye previously announced that the black box and cockpit voice recorder would be analyzed in a neutral country.

Tunç confirmed on Dec. 26 that contact has now been established with Germany.

Once the sides are agreed, the black box is expected to be sent to Germany, where flight recorders are typically examined by the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) in Braunschweig.

The Libyan Interior Ministry emphasized the preference for a third-country examination, aiming to ensure a “definitive technical analysis” of the crash.

Tunç also stated that the forensic process is ongoing, with DNA samples being cross-referenced with those received from Libya.

Libyan Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and accompanying senior defense delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

The plane notified air traffic control of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboğa, where preparations for its landing began.

The plane, however, disappeared from the radar while descending for the emergency landing.

The wreckage was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) south of Ankara.