--- title: "Detached Wings From Doomed Turkish C-130 Seen Spiraling Into The Ground (Updated)" description: "The Turkish Air Force C-130E went down dramatically in the country of Georgia as it was returning home from Azerbaijan." date: "2025-11-11" modified: "2025-11-11" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/detached-wings-from-doomed-turkish-c-130-seen-spiraling-into-the-ground" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "C-130" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "Transports" - "Turkey" tags: - "Crash" - "Mishap" --- # Detached Wings From Doomed Turkish C-130 Seen Spiraling Into The Ground (Updated) ![Videos show a Turkish Air Force C-130E Hercules cargo plane falling in multiple pieces from the sky earlier today.]() *capture via X* Videos show a Turkish Air Force C-130E [Hercules cargo plane]() falling in multiple pieces from the sky earlier today. The center fuselage with the wings still attached is notably seen spiraling straight down toward the ground. The aircraft, which tragically had 20 individuals on board, came down in Georgia as it was flying from Azerbaijan to Turkey. https://twitter.com/PolymarketIntel/status/1988234097995465183 The C-130E went down sometime after 2:49 PM local time (10:49 PM UTC), [according to data from Flightradar24](). The aircraft, which had been using the callsign TUAF543, had taken off from Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan some 30 minutes beforehand. "After departure, it turned and positioned itself on a northeasterly track, passing the Mingechevir Reservoir beneath. While passing 15,000 feet, it again turned onto a northwesterly heading before turning west, passing the Georgian border around 10:37 UTC," per Flightradar24. "It was in a continuous ascent until reaching its cruising altitude of 24,000 feet at 10:41 UTC." https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/1988230531561975817 As noted, videos are circulating online that show the C-130E having broken apart at some point in midair. In addition to the center fuselage and wings, other large sections of the aircraft are seen falling down toward the ground. A smoke-like effect is seen emanating from the wingtips as they fall, which *could* be fuel and/or vapor. It then hits the ground, causing a large plume of thick black smoke to erupt. https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1988230696754667910 https://twitter.com/thenewarea51/status/1988277172486766918?s=20 Georgian officials say the C-130 came down approximately three miles (five kilometers) from the country's eastern border with Azerbaijan, [according to *RFE/RL*](). Authorities have been working to get to the crash site, and the crash is under investigation. Pictures and videos said to show the wreckage are now beginning to emerge online. https://twitter.com/fl360aero/status/1988252550294860151 https://twitter.com/visionergeo/status/1988236751010189690 "Our aircraft that crashed had 20 personnel on board, including the flight crew," the Turkish Defense Ministry had said earlier in a statement, according to RFE/RL. "Search and rescue operations are ongoing." "God willing, we will overcome this crash with minimum hardships," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also said during a speech in Ankara after receiving word about the crash, [according to *Reuters*](). "May God rest the soul of our martyrs, and let us be with them through our prayers." Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, [a major Turkish ally](), has [also offered his condolences](). As of the start of 2025, the Turkish Air Force had a mixed fleet of 18 C-130B and E variants, [according to *FlightGlobal*](). These are both models that would have first rolled off Lockheed's production line decades ago. For some years now, Turkey has been in the process of bringing all of its Hercules aircraft up to a modernized standard through [the ERCIYES modernization program](). The designations C-130BM and EM are often used to describe planes that have received the upgrades, which include improved avionics and navigation systems, as well as new cockpit displays, and more. The Turkish Hercules that went down today in Georgia had received the upgrade package, [according to *Scramble*](). Turkey also acquired this particular example second-hand from Saudi Arabia. ![]() *The three main cargo aircraft types in Turkish Air Force service today, including the C-130 at rear left. The others are the Airbus A400M, in front, and the Transall C-160, at rear right. *Turkish Ministry of National Defense** Earlier this year, Turkish authorities also confirmed they had purchased [12 ex-British C-130J models](). The Royal Air Force officially [retired the last of its C-130Js]() in 2023. While there is much to learn about the crash today, the imagery of the aircraft going down and from the crash site certainly shows a devastating total loss. We will continue to update this story with any new information that may emerge in the next 24 hours about the mishap. ******Update, 11/12/2025:****** Turkish authorities have now sadly confirmed the deaths of all 20 individuals on board the C-130E that went down yesterday. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1988503517992992875 Georgian authorities say they have been able to locate 18 bodies and continue to search for the other two, [according to the *Associated Press*](). Turkish and Georgian officials were finally able to reach the crash site yesterday. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is ongoing. *Contact the author: joe@twz.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()