Video: Turkish military plane with 20 on board crashes in Georgia after taking off from Azerbaijan

A Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 people crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijani border on Tuesday, authorities said. Immediate casualty reports remain unconfirmed.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with top officials from Georgia and Azerbaijan, indicated that at least some of those on board were likely killed, though no specific details have been released.

Harrowing footage shows plane spiralling before impact

Video aired on Turkish media shows the C-130E Hercules cargo plane spiralling downward, trailing white smoke, before hitting the ground and erupting in a thick plume of black smoke.

The plane, which departed from Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan roughly 30 minutes prior to the crash, was using the callsign TUAF543. According to Flightradar24, it climbed to a cruising altitude of 24,000 feet before suddenly disappearing from radar after entering Georgian airspace.

Detached wings seen falling in dramatic crash

Videos circulating online reportedly show the aircraft breaking apart midair, with the fuselage and wings falling separately toward the ground. Smoke-like trails are visible from the wingtips, possibly fuel or vapor, as the sections crash.

The Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed the plane went down approximately five kilometres from Georgia’s eastern border with Azerbaijan, in the Sighnaghi municipality.

Search and rescue efforts underway

Authorities in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan have launched coordinated search and rescue operations. Turkey’s military deployed a UAV to assist, while an accident investigation team prepares to reach the site.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Georgian authorities reached the crash site around 5 p.m. local time.

Leaders express condolences

President Erdogan expressed sorrow over the incident, extending condolences to the families of those on board, calling them "martyrs."

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev also conveyed condolences, stating: “We were deeply saddened by the tragic news of the loss of servicemen in the crash of a Turkish Air Force military cargo plane.”

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili joined in expressing sympathy for Turkey.

C-130E Hercules: A workhorse for military transport

The C-130E Hercules, a four-engine turboprop tactical airlifter, is widely used by Turkey’s armed forces for personnel transport and logistical operations. The aircraft had been flying from Azerbaijan back to Turkey at the time of the crash.

Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military cooperation, and the incident comes shortly after Erdogan and other officials attended Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations in Baku on November 8.