Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, has disclosed new information regarding the condition of the black box and cockpit voice recorders recovered from the aircraft crash that killed Libyan Chief of Staff Lieutenant General in Tripoli Mohamed Al-Haddad and several others.
Speaking to journalists at the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Uraloğlu said both the flight data recorder and the voice recorders were damaged in the crash, adding that only four countries worldwide possess the technical capability to analyze recorders in such condition.
His remarks were reported by Turkish media following a briefing ahead of a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party.
Uraloğlu explained that Turkish aviation experts, in coordination with Libyan representatives and the aircraft’s manufacturer, agreed that the United Kingdom would conduct the examination of the damaged devices.
He cautioned that the process would be time-consuming due to the extent of the damage, stressing that reaching definitive conclusions will require patience and technical precision.
The minister added that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is continuing its judicial investigation into the crash, noting that legal inquiries are proceeding alongside the technical analysis.
He said a joint team from Turkey will travel to the UK to closely follow the examination process together with all relevant parties. “This investigation could take a month or even longer,” Uraloğlu said.
The crash claimed the lives of eight people, including three crew members and five Libyan nationals. Among the Libyan victims were Lieutenant General Mohamed Al-Haddad, Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Ghribil, commander of ground forces, Brigadier Mahmoud Jumaa Al-Qatouwi, head of military manufacturing, Mohamed Al-Assawi, adviser to the chief of staff, and photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.
Subsequent reports indicated that two French nationals were among the aircraft crew, while Greek media reported that a Greek woman was also among the victims.
The aircraft, a Falcon 50 business jet, crashed on December 23 less than forty minutes after departing Ankara on a flight to Tripoli. Authorities in both Turkey and Libya have emphasized the need for a transparent and comprehensive investigation before assigning responsibility or drawing conclusions about the cause of the crash.
