Das Frachtflugzeug der türkischen Luftwaffe vom Typ C-130 (Reg. 68-01609) hat den Abflug von Ganja heute früher verfolgt, später ging das Signal zwischen Georgien und Aserbaidschan verloren. Das folgende Filmmaterial zeigt offenbar den Absturz desselben Flugzeugs, der derzeit überprüft wird. Das Flugzeug im Video sieht aus, als wäre es abgeschossen worden.

It’s quite rare that that kind of platform crashes like this seperated mid-air. Also, if it was explosion or sth, we must have seen a lot of pieces.

Most likely SAM

[Here is how](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules#/media/File:Lockheed_C-130_Hercules.jpg) a C-130 looks normally. The large piece falling in the video is the wing, seemingly completely detached from the rest of the fuselage, but still intact. The smaller piece on the right seems to be the front of the fuselage (including the cockpit)

I mean it could be caused by a [centre wing box](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oGeMvf7sFc) or fuselage failure or by an explosion. At this point it’s all speculation.

Someone with more knowledge of the topic could chime in, but if it was shot down wouldn’t it be more likely that the wings/engine would be hit instead of the fuselage? And wouldn’t a SAM hit result in much smaller pieces of debris [like MH17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjySlZUHNso)?

Once rescue teams get to the crash site it should become pretty clear whether it was shot down. If there’s evidence of shrapnel damage, that would rule out a lot of the other possibilities.

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**Edit:** Worth noting that there was KC-130 crash back in 2017 where the front of the fuselage separated in a similar spot. Back then a propeller blade detached and basically cut off the front of the fuselage from the rest of the plane. [Here’s the official animated reconstruction of that crash](https://youtu.be/-PjyGJO7Qm0?&t=120)

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**Edit 2:** Some more info from Flightradar24 tracking data:

* [This plane was flying](https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/68-01609) multiple times per week between Ganja, Azerbaijan and various Turkish airports, using Georgian airspace
* The two previous flights on the 8th and 10th of November used [a different route slightly further south](https://imgur.com/IL5Jopn).
* Today’s flight was following a slightly northern route, the [same path as several commercial flights](https://imgur.com/AVTsRtv), although at a lower altitude (this is normal for the C-130 as turboprops generally have lower service ceilings than jets)
* The last position recorded by FR24 was 7 km from the Georgia – Azerbaijan border and 70 kilometers from the Georgia-Russia border
* [The speed & altitude graph](https://imgur.com/ZtCdXsY) shows no changes before signal was lost. (worth mentioning that signal loss could be simply due to lack of FR24 coverage for lower altitudes in that area)

“ Ganja“ !

Somebody took „pot shots“ at the plane.

[https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/lockheed-c-130-hercules-68-1609-turk-hava-kuvvetleri-turkish-air-force/38oynl](https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/lockheed-c-130-hercules-68-1609-turk-hava-kuvvetleri-turkish-air-force/38oynl)

What makes you think it was shot down?

„Looks like it was shot down“ based on what?

The plane is 58 years old.

I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet.

[Marine Corps KC-130 Breaks Up in Mid-Flight | Falling Apart Over Mississippi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs6gFYDKgLQ)