8 Killed in Plane Crash including Libyan Army Chief

Libya’s Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad and four other senior military officers died after a private jet crashed south of Ankara on Tuesday night, officials in Libya and Türkiye confirmed.

The wreckage of the Falcon 50 aircraft was found near Kesikkavak village in Haymana district, according to Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Gendarmerie teams reached the crash site after losing contact with the jet.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah later announced the deaths, stating that al-Haddad and accompanying officials were returning to Tripoli following an official visit to Türkiye. He said an investigation would be launched to determine the cause of the accident.

The aircraft, bearing registration number 9H-DFJ, took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 8:10 p.m. local time. Communication was lost at 8:52 p.m. after the crew sent an emergency landing alert near the Haymana area.

Footage aired by Türkiye’s Anadolu Agency showed a flash at the moment of impact, while images from the scene revealed debris scattered across the crash site. Air operations at Ankara airport were temporarily halted but later resumed.

During his visit, al-Haddad held high-level talks with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of the General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said earlier.

Libyan authorities have formed a formal committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.