The surprising route of the crashed cargo plane: It went in the wrong direction! What was the plane doing in Georgia?

A Turkish Lockheed C-130 Hercules military cargo plane crashed on the Georgian border while on its return flight from Azerbaijan. It was reported that 20 soldiers were martyred in the accident. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the plane crashed in the Signagi region, approximately five kilometers from the Azerbaijani border. Numerous search and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

THE PLANE'S ROUTE RAISED QUESTIONS

According to Flight Radar data, the plane, which took off from Ganja Airport in Azerbaijan with the call sign “TUAF543,” headed in a northeasterly direction after takeoff. The plane, which was expected to turn west—that is, toward Turkey—first passed over the Mingachevir Reservoir, then made another turn at an altitude of 15,000 feet and entered a northwesterly route.

Following this maneuver, it was determined that the plane turned west and proceeded toward the Georgian border, and radar contact was lost shortly thereafter. It was stated that the plane had plotted a route to stay clear of Armenian airspace, but entered Georgian airspace during this process.

DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR AFTER 27 MINUTES

The C-130 Hercules continued to climb steadily for approximately 27 minutes from takeoff. Shortly after reaching an altitude of 24,000 feet, radar contact was completely lost. The Georgian Air Navigation Administration announced that the plane disappeared from radar a few minutes after entering their airspace and did not send any emergency signals.

THE 57-YEAR-OLD PLANE HAD BEEN PURCHASED FROM SAUDI ARABIA

According to information provided by Flight Global, the crashed plane was manufactured by Lockheed Martin in 1968. The plane, which served for years in the Royal Saudi Air Force fleet, was purchased by Turkey in March 2010 and included in the Turkish Air Force inventory.

According to Scramble data, the plane that crashed in the accident had undergone a modernization process.

In the footage of the plane crash, it was seen that the rear fuselage had broken off and the plane was emitting white smoke while spiraling down. However, no signs of flames or fire were encountered.

Experts stated that it was not normal for a plane falling from an altitude of 24,000 feet to break apart in this manner, and assessed that “the technical data regarding the accident must be examined.”

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Ministry of National Defense (MSB) had announced that a C-130 cargo plane belonging to the ministry, which was on its way to Turkey, had crashed. In the statement, it was noted that the plane was coming from Azerbaijan to Turkey and crashed in Georgia.

The Ministry of National Defense (MSB) reported that there were 20 personnel, including the flight crew, on the C-130 military cargo plane that crashed on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, and that search and rescue efforts were ongoing, followed by the tragic news regarding the 20 soldiers.