Tragic confirmation of the fears expressed earlier in the evening: The Falcon 50 private jet crashed in an area outside Ankara., shortly after takeoff, according to official announcements by the Turkish authorities.
According to the same sources, the aircraft was carrying high-level military mission from Libya, including Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Khadad, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the country.
The Falcon 50 (serial number 9H-DFJ) had taken off at 20:10 from the airport Esemboya bound for Tripoli. In 20:52 contact with the aircraft was lost, following an earlier request for emergency landing near the area Haimana.
The development was confirmed by Turkey's Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, who stated in a post on X that the aircraft was carrying five people and that the authorities will provide full information once the initial phase of the investigations has been completed.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain unclear at this time, while the incident is gaining serious diplomatic and geopolitical implications, as the Libyan general had held official talks in Turkey a few hours before the accident.
Investigations are ongoing.
🔴The wreckage of the aircraft carrying 🇱🇾Libya’s Chief of General Staff and his team has been found. https://t.co/3piqfjZTWV pic.twitter.com/cFs1BBVtrD
— Defence Turk English (@Defence_Turk_EN) December 23, 2025
A Falcon 50 jet carrying the Libyan Chief of the General Staff has reportedly crashed near Ankara, Türkiye – Turkish authorities.
The video reportedly shows the moment of the crash. pic.twitter.com/1RnQfjZR1D
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 23, 2025
What Turkey's interior minister said
The Turkish Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, In a post on X, he stated:
«Contact was lost at 20:52 with a Falcon 50 business jet, which took off from Esenboga Airport in Ankara bound for Tripoli. There were five people on board the aircraft, including the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces. An update will be provided as soon as new information becomes available.».
The Turkish authorities have already begun extensive search operations of the aircraft and any debris, with the participation of rescue teams.
🔴Contact lost with jet carrying 🇱🇾Libya’s Chief of General Staff
🔸A jet departing 🇹🇷Esenboğa Airport, reportedly carrying Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali Al-Haddad, lost contact.
Earlier, he met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.
📋NTV pic.twitter.com/2KMMzOv5u5— Defence Turk English (@Defence_Turk_EN) December 23, 2025
Diplomatic dimensions and recent history
It should be noted that the Libyan official had met a few hours earlier with his Turkish counterparts, which lends particular diplomatic and geopolitical significance to the incident.
At the same time, this incident adds to a worrying series of aviation accidents related to Turkey in recent times. It should be noted that:
on November 11 crashed transport aircraft C-130 on the Georgia–Azerbaijan border, with 20 dead,
while in November 13 Turkish fell Canadair during a firefighting operation in Croatia, resulting in the death of the two pilots.
Developments are being closely monitored, while official information from the Turkish authorities regarding the fate of the aircraft and its passengers is awaited.
