Chilling Footage Shows Falcon 50 Jet Carrying Libyan Military Chief Crash in Haymana, Turkey

Libya’s military chief, General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, was killed along with four other officers and three crew members when a private jet crashed in central Turkey on Tuesday, officials said.

The Falcon 50 business jet went down near Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, about 70 km south of Ankara, shortly after taking off from the Turkish capital. Videos circulating on social media appear to show an explosion moments before the crash, reportedly caused by a technical malfunction.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths in a statement on Facebook, calling the incident a “tragic accident” and describing the loss of al-Haddad and his colleagues as a “great loss” for the country. The delegation was returning to Libya at the time of the crash.

Al-Haddad was the most senior military commander in western Libya and a central figure in United Nations-backed efforts to unify Libya’s fragmented armed forces amid ongoing political divisions.

Those killed with him included General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of the ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Qatawi, head of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer attached to the chief of staff’s office. The identities of the three crew members were not immediately released.

Cause of the crash

Turkish authorities said the aircraft reported an electrical problem shortly after take-off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport and requested an emergency landing.

The jet departed around 8.30 pm local time and contacted air traffic control minutes later before being cleared to turn back. During its descent, the aircraft disappeared from radar and communication was lost.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane transmitted an emergency landing signal near Haymana before all contact ceased. An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.