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Overview
- The transport departed Azerbaijan for Turkey and went down minutes after entering Georgian airspace near Sighnaghi in the Kakheti region.
- Georgia’s aviation authority reported the aircraft vanished from radar without issuing an emergency signal.
- Footage and eyewitness accounts showed the Hercules spiraling, partly disintegrating and burning before impact.
- Turkey’s defense minister, Yasar Guler, identified the 20 as Turkish military personnel and released their photos, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences.
- Recovery and investigative efforts are being coordinated by Turkish, Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities, with Lockheed Martin and U.S. officials extending support and condolences.