Turkey has confirmed that all 20 people aboard a Turkish C-130 transport were killed after the plane crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijani border. Investigators from Turkey and Georgia are inspecting the wreckage in Sighnaghi, Kakheti, after the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace. Regional governments, NATO representatives and Lockheed Martin have issued condolences and offered assistance. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
All 20 on Turkish C-130 Killed in Crash in Georgia Near Azerbaijani Border
Turkey has confirmed that all 20 people aboard a Turkish C-130 transport were killed after the plane crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijani border. Investigators from Turkey and Georgia are inspecting the wreckage in Sighnaghi, Kakheti, after the aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after entering Georgian airspace. Regional governments, NATO representatives and Lockheed Martin have issued condolences and offered assistance. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
12:56 PM, 11/12/2025Security
Turkey confirms 20 military personnel killed after C-130 crash in Georgia
Turkey's Ministry of National Defence has confirmed that all 20 people aboard a Turkish C-130 military transport were killed when the aircraft crashed inside Georgia near the Azerbaijani border. The crash occurred shortly after the plane departed Ganja, Azerbaijan, and investigators from Turkey and Georgia are examining the wreckage at the scene.
Crash details
The aircraft went down on Tuesday and the ministry announced the fatalities on Wednesday. The wreckage is being inspected in the Sighnaghi municipality in Georgia's Kakheti region, roughly 5 km (3.1 miles) from the Georgian–Azerbaijani border. Georgia's air traffic control authority reported the plane disappeared from radar soon after entering Georgian airspace and transmitted no distress signal before the crash.
Video circulated by regional media showed a large plume of black smoke rising from the impact area and debris scattered across the site. Turkish investigators, in coordination with Georgian authorities, have begun an on-site technical inspection to determine the cause of the accident. No official cause has been released.
Official reactions
Defence Minister Yasar Guler mourned the loss on social media, posting photographs of the servicemen in uniform and saying, "Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "deeply saddened" and offered condolences to the families of the dead.
Condolences and messages of support have been received from governments and leaders across the region and beyond, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Egypt, Iran, Italy and Malta. NATO officials and representatives from the United States also expressed solidarity. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the C-130 Hercules, conveyed condolences and said it is ready to assist investigators.
Context
Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close political, economic and military ties; Ankara has trained Azerbaijani officers and supplied equipment to Baku. Turkish officials, including President Erdogan, attended Victory Day events in Baku on November 8 that celebrated Azerbaijan's 2020 battlefield gains in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
About the aircraft
The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine, turboprop military transport aircraft widely used around the world to carry personnel, cargo and equipment.
The investigation is ongoing. Turkish and Georgian authorities are coordinating recovery and technical examinations of the wreckage; officials have not yet released a timeline for the investigation or for returning the remains to Turkey.