Army Chief Among 8 Killed When Small Plane Crashes After Takeoff

Libya’s army chief of staff was among eight people killed when a private jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, according to officials.

Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad was part of a delegation of Libyan officials meeting their Turkish counterparts when the plane crashed on Tuesday, Dec. 23, according to the Associated Press. Everyone else onboard — including four other officers and three crew members — died in the crash that Turkish officials said was caused by a technical malfunction.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah called the deaths of al-Haddad and the other officers a “great loss” to Libya in a statement published on social media. Libya “lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication and were examples of discipline, responsibility and national commitment,” Dbeibah wrote in Arabic.

The other officers who died in the crash were identified as Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub. The identities of the crew members were not available.

After the meeting with Turkish military officials, the Libyan delegation left Ankara aboard a private jet. The plane, a Falcon 50 jet, lost radio contact shortly after takeoff, Turkish officials said, according to The New York Times.

Burhanettin Duran, the chief spokesman for Turkey’s government, wrote on X that the plane’s crew first reported an emergency “due to an electric failure” and requested an emergency landing. The crew was redirected to return to the airport, but contact was lost as it began descending for the emergency landing, according to Duran.

The plane’s wreckage was scattered across 3 square kilometers (more than a square mile), Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters, according to the Associated Press. Search teams have located the plane’s voice and flight data recorders, and authorities are still working to identify remains.

Officials from Libya have already arrived to help with the investigation, Yerlikaya said. The Libyan government also declared a three-day period of national mourning, with flags flown at half-staff at government buildings.

“An investigation has been launched into this tragic incident that has deeply saddened us, and our ministries will provide information about its progress,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan also spoke with Dbeibah over the phone, Duran said.

Gen. al-Haddad was the highest-ranked officer in the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, the internationally recognized government of Libya. He was appointed to his position in 2020 with the goal of uniting the Libyan Army. However, rival factions have been jockeying for power in the county, including a rival government and militia in Tobruk.