On 15 January, Turkish media reported that the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a multi-faceted investigation, including technology, intelligence, and diplomatic channels, to uncover the circumstances of the plane crash that killed Lieutenant General (now: Field Marshal) Muhammed al-Haddad and other senior army figures near Ankara on 23 December. The black box of al-Haddad’s aircraft was sent to London for analysis of flight data and audio recordings, based on instructions from the Public Prosecutor’s office.
Surveillance camera recordings of the plane crash have been sent to TÜBİTAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. The footage will be analyzed frame by frame to determine the angle of the crash and the speed of the plane, and whether there are any signs of an explosion or external interference in the air. The report, prepared by TÜBİTAK experts using image enhancement and digital analysis techniques, will be added to the investigation file.
For the time being, investigations, including the questioning of the crew that flew with the aircraft to Ankara, did not bring up any indication for the involvement of terrorist groups or foreign intelligence agencies.
Ankara’s Chief Prosecutor’s office has formally asked the Libyan authorities to provide details about the company that leased the aircraft and how the leasing was arranged, along with the full maintenance history, records of parts replaced, and the names of the personnel responsible for the aircraft’s latest technical inspections.