The Turkish Ministry of National Defense officially confirmed that all 20 service members aboard the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft were killed in the crash that occurred on November 11, 2025, in the Sighnaghi municipality on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The ministry announced this on its X-channel account, publishing memorial certificates with photographs and names of the victims.

The plane, flying from Ganja, Azerbaijan, to Turkey, crashed shortly after takeoff. Among the victims were the flight crew and technical personnel, including Majors Gökhan Korkmaz, Serdar Uslu, Nihat Ilgen, Çüney Kandemir, and Emre Mercan, as well as other officers and sergeants. Certificates signed by Defense Minister Yasar Güler express profound gratitude to the "heroes who fell for the homeland" and offer condolences to the families.

The search and rescue operation, launched immediately after the crash, was conducted jointly with the authorities of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences, and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev discussed the incident with Erdogan, confirming the deaths of military personnel. The cause of the crash is under investigation; a preliminary theory is being considered: a structural failure in mid-air. This is the first loss of a C-130 for Turkey in a decade, and the navy is planning to replace it with the more modern C-130J.