Plane Crash in Ankara: Libyan Chief of General Staff Killed
The jet carrying Libya’s Chief of General Staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, who was on a working visit to Turkey, crashed near Haymana, Ankara, yesterday around 8:00 PM. The aircraft crashed 19 minutes after takeoff as it was returning to Libya. The black box has been recovered during the search efforts for the aircraft, which was carrying eight military personnel, including the Chief of General Staff. Libya has declared three days of national mourning.
General Al-Haddad and his delegation, who came to Ankara at the invitation of Turkey’s Chief of General Staff, General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, lost their lives when their plane crashed 19 minutes after departing for Libya. The 1988-model Falcon 50 type aircraft, carrying eight people including Al-Haddad, took off from Ankara in the evening hours bound for Tripoli.
The wreckage was located near the village of Kesikkavak in Ankara’s Haymana district, approximately 105 kilometers from Esenboğa Airport.
Mourning in Libya
Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, announced that everyone on board, including Al-Haddad, perished in the crash.
In addition to Chief of General Staff Al-Haddad, the passengers included Lieutenant General Futuri Gribel (Commander of Land Forces), Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Katavi (Commander of the Military Manufacturing Authority), Mohammed Al-Assavi Diyab (Advisor to the Chief of General Staff), Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub (Photographer for the General Staff), and three other personnel. Libya has declared three days of national mourning following the accident.
Libya’s Minister of State for Communication, Walid Ammar Mohammed Ammar Ellafi, stated, "All indications suggest that the cause of the plane crash was a technical failure." The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the crash. Four public prosecutors have been assigned to the case under the coordination of a deputy chief public prosecutor. The Libyan state will also send a delegation to Ankara to monitor the investigation.
Takeoff and Emergency Notification
According to a statement by Burhanettin Duran, the Head of Communications for the Presidency, the plane carrying General Al-Haddad and his delegation took off from Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 8:17 PM local time on December 23. At 8:33 PM, the aircraft reported an emergency to air traffic control due to an electrical failure and requested an emergency landing.
Air traffic control redirected the aircraft back to Esenboğa Airport, and necessary precautions were initiated at the airport. However, the plane, which had begun its descent for the emergency landing, disappeared from radar screens at 8:36 PM. Subsequent attempts to establish contact with the aircraft failed.
Search activities initiated by teams under the Ministry of Interior revealed that the plane had crashed. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that Gendarmerie forces reached the wreckage 2 kilometers south of Kesikkavak Village in the Haymana district.
Al-Haddad’s Contacts in Turkey
Before his departure, General Al-Haddad had met with National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler following his meeting with General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
Notably, on December 22, the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) General Assembly had approved a Presidential Memorandum to extend the mandate of Turkish Armed Forces personnel serving in Libya for two years, starting January 2, 2026. The memorandum aims to protect peace and stability in the region and defend Turkey's rights and interests in the Mediterranean within the framework of military training and cooperation protocols signed with Libya.
Source: BBC
