Libya's military leadership faces a major blow after Army Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad and four senior officials died in a plane crash near Ankara on Tuesday evening. The Falcon 50 jet vanished from radar shortly after takeoff from Esenboga Airport, with Turkish authorities locating wreckage in rural Haymana district.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the crash site discovery by gendarmerie units, while Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah announced a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. The aircraft had been returning from high-level defense talks where al-Haddad met Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of the General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu earlier that day.
Aviation authorities reported the crew issued an emergency landing alert minutes before contact was lost at 8:52 p.m. local time. While air traffic at Ankara's main airport resumed within hours, the incident raises questions about regional aviation safety protocols as Libya forms a special committee to examine technical and operational factors behind the crash.
