Turkey grounds all C-130 military aircraft after Georgia crash kills 20
Authorities said the aircraft’s maintenance was up to date, no ammunition was on board and the investigation is ongoing.
ANKARA — Turkey has grounded all C-130 military cargo aircraft as a precaution following a crash earlier this week that killed 20 military personnel, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.
“As of November 12, 2025, the flights of our [C-130] aircraft have been suspended as a precaution,” a Defense Ministry official told journalists at a briefing in Ankara.
“After all detailed technical checks and inspections are completed, the flights of the aircraft whose inspections are finalized will resume.”
Why it matters: The move comes after a Turkish C-130 military cargo plane crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, killing all 20 military personnel on board.
The cause of the crash will be determined once the investigation is complete, the official said. He added that the aircraft’s black box has been brought to Ankara and is currently under examination.
The official also dismissed claims that ammunition on board may have caused the explosion. “Our aircraft carried personnel and maintenance equipment. There was no ammunition on board,” he said.
The aircraft had undergone all scheduled airframe, engine and propeller maintenance on time, with its most recent service conducted last month, according to the official.
Meanwhile, Turkish and Georgian teams have recovered all the remains from the crash site, which are scheduled to be transferred to Turkey on Thursday, the official said.
Background: The aircraft went down near the eastern Georgian town of Sighnaghi, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, shortly after taking off from the northwestern Azerbaijani town of Ganja.
The plane made its last radio contact at 1:50 p.m. local time, and its crash was reported roughly 45 minutes later, the official said, adding that the site was secured by authorities later that afternoon.
Know more: The Turkish Air Force has roughly 20 C-130 Hercules aircraft in its inventory. The C-130s are four-engine turboprop transport aircraft, widely used for military cargo, troop transport and humanitarian missions. They are known for their ability to take off from rough airfields and carry heavy payloads over long distances.
The C-130 Hercules is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, a US aerospace and defense company.
