Türkiye recovers Black Box After Plane Crash That Killed Libya Army Chief, Turkish authorities have successfully recovered the voice recorder and black box from the private jet that crashed near Ankara, killing Libya’s top military commander and seven others, officials confirmed Thursday. The black box recovery marks a significant step in the investigation into one of the most tragic accidents involving senior foreign officials in Türkiye in recent years.
The Dassault Falcon 50 business jet, carrying Libyan Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al‑Haddad, four senior military officials, and three crew members, took off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport on December 23 en route to Tripoli before losing contact with air traffic control.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the cockpit voice recorder was found at approximately 02:45 a.m. local time and the flight data recorder (black box) was recovered shortly after at 03:20 a.m. near the crash site in the Haymana district, about south of Kesikkavak village.
“The examination and evaluation of these devices have begun,” Yerlikaya told reporters, adding that the wreckage spanned roughly three square kilometers.
A 22‑member Libyan investigative team has already departed for Ankara to work alongside Turkish authorities in reconstructing the final moments before the crash and determining the cause.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah described the loss as a “national tragedy,” while mourning ceremonies were declared across Libya. The black box recovery is expected to provide crucial data for investigators as both countries seek answers to what led to the fatal crash.
