Black Box Recovered from Jet Crash Near Ankara That Killed Libya’s Army Chief
The black box and cockpit voice recorder were recovered early Wednesday from the wreckage of a private jet that crashed near the Turkish capital Ankara, killing Libya’s army chief and others on board, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Speaking to reporters, Yerlikaya noted that the debris field spans approximately three square kilometers, underscoring the severity of the crash that occurred a day earlier.
According to the minister, teams from the Transportation Safety Investigation Center under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure recovered the aircraft’s voice recorder at 2:45 a.m. local time, followed by the black box at 3:20 a.m. The examination and evaluation process of the recovered devices has already begun, he said, stressing that the data will be crucial in determining the cause of the crash. A total of 408 personnel, supported by 103 ground vehicles and seven aircraft, have been deployed to the site.
Yerlikaya added that a 22-member Libyan delegation, including relatives of the victims and officials from Libya’s Defense and Interior ministries, has arrived in Ankara. He extended condolences to the victims’ families, the Libyan government, and the Libyan people, describing the incident as a tragic accident. The Falcon 50-type business jet had departed Ankara’s Esenboga Airport en route to Tripoli and was later found about two kilometers south of Kesikkavak village in the Haymana district. Libya’s Government of National Unity has declared three days of national mourning following the deadly crash.
