C-130 Hercules News

November 11, 2025 (by Lieven Dewitte) - On 11 November 2025, a serious incident occurred involving a Turkish Air Force C‑130E Hercules transport aircraft flying under call‑sign TUAF543, which crashed in Georgia near the Azerbaijan/Georgia border with the loss of 20 lives.
The aircraft, with registration 68‑1609, departed from Ganja International Airport (GNJ/UBBG) in Azerbaijan at 10:19 UTC, carrying six tons of spare parts for F-16 fighter jets.

After departure the aircraft tracked northeast over the Mingechevir Reservoir, climbed through 15,000 ft, then turned northwest and west. It crossed into Georgian airspace around 10:37 UTC, reaching a cruising altitude of approx. 24,000 ft around 10:41 UTC. The last ADS‑B signal recorded by Flightradar24 occurred at 10:49:20 UTC.

The aircraft is identified as a C‑130E Hercules, originally built in 1968 for the Royal Saudi Air Force, and later entering Turkish service in March 2010 as 68‑1609.

At time of writing, the Turkish Ministry of Defence has confirmed the crash but no official details regarding casualties, crew‑status or precise cause have been released. A joint search‑and‑rescue operation is ongoing in coordination with Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities.

Technical & operational context
The C‑130E variant is a four‑engine tactical transport widely used by many air forces for cargo, personnel, medevac and airdrop operations. The fact that the airframe dates back to 1968 means that thorough maintenance, upgrades and life‐extension programmes are typically required to keep it in safe operational condition. In Turkish Air Force service, 68‑1609 has been in use for many years, which means age‑related factors (structural fatigue, systems obsolescence) may become relevant in any investigation.

The flight profile shows a normal take‑off and climb, entering Georgian airspace uneventfully, so the point at which something went critically wrong is after the last ADS‑B contact (~10:49 UTC). That suggests either a rapid development of a major fault or an external event (weather, terrain, hostile action, etc) that prevented further tracking or communication.

Region & strategic considerations
The crash occurred near the Azerbaijan‑Georgia border region, placing the incident within a geopolitically sensitive area. The joint cooperation of Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities in the search suggests cross‑border coordination and potentially challenging terrain or access conditions.

Given that the aircraft was on a military flight, the available public information is limited. Military flight permissions, airspace status, terrain clearance requirements and the aircraft’s mission profile will all be relevant to the investigation but not generally public at this stage.

We will continue to monitor for updates on crew status, investigation findings and broader implications for the Hercules operator community. C‑130.net readers are encouraged to share any verified additional information (photos, satellite imagery, official statements) as it becomes available.

We extend our respect to the crew and their families, and hope for a full and transparent investigation that contributes to safety improvements for all C‑130 operators.