Turkish authorities said investigators recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the Dassault Falcon 50 that crashed south of Ankara last week, killing Libya’s western military chief Gen. Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad and seven others. The jet departed the capital following high-level defense talks, but reported an electrical malfunction 16 minutes into the flight. Pilots requested an emergency return, but disappeared from radar during the flight’s descent. Officials said the black boxes will be examined in a neutral third country as part of ongoing efforts to clarify the events leading up to the accident.
Recovery teams reported debris spread across a wide area near the village of Kesikkavak, with muddy conditions initially slowing access to the site. Authorities secured the wreckage and started reviewing air traffic control recordings, airport surveillance footage and the aircraft’s most recent maintenance documentation. Forensic examinations of the victims were completed before their repatriation to Libya, while specialists continue to assess additional factors including fuel samples, crew records and local weather data from the time of the crash.
Libya declared three days of national mourning, and an official delegation arrived in Turkey to support the investigation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah and said updates on the probe would be shared as they become available. The visiting Libyan group had been returning to Tripoli after meetings focused on continued military cooperation between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.
