Turkish military plane crashes in Georgia killing 20 onboard

Patrick Sykes and Ani Avetisyan, Bloomberg News on Nov 12, 2025

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A cargo plane belonging to Turkey’s Ministry of Defense crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, killing all 20 people onboard.

The C130 aircraft was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey when it crashed in a mountainous area near Sighnagi around 5 kilometers from the Azeri border, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The plane disappeared from radar minutes after crossing into Georgian airspace from Azerbaijan, Georgia’s air navigation body Sakaeronavigatsia said in a Facebook post, adding that the aircraft didn’t send a distress signal.

A Turkish investigation team began examining the wreckage early Wednesday in coordination with Georgian authorities, Anadolu said.

Turkey and Azerbaijan have close political and military ties, with officials often referring to the countries as “one nation, two states.” Turkey backed Azerbaijan in its clashes with Armenia over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The C-130 Hercules, built by Lockheed Martin, can carry up to 42,000 pounds (19,000 kilograms) of cargo including helicopters and personnel, according to the U.S. Air Force’s website. It is a four-engine turboprop transport aircraft widely used by militaries around the world.

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—With assistance from Demetrios Pogkas.