Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defense has released a new statement regarding the C-130 aircraft crash that resulted in the deaths of 20 soldiers.

Axar.az informs that the ministry said that no additional data has been found that could clarify the cause of the accident.

"Examination of the flight data recorder (FDR) showed that up until the moment of the crash, all digital data, crew communications, and aircraft systems were functioning normally with no malfunctions detected. The event occurred suddenly. The FDR recording ended when power and data cables were severed due to the separation of the tail cone from the fuselage, leaving no additional data to illuminate the cause.

Detailed inspections of the engines and propellers indicated that they were working properly until the moment of the crash. No damage to the fuselage from propeller separation was found.

Samples collected from the wreckage and analyzed by the Gendarmerie Criminal Department showed no traces of explosives inside or outside the aircraft.

Material fracture and cross-section analyses are pending reporting. So far, it has been determined that the fractures did not originate from fatigue, though tensile tests showed the materials exhibited brittle fatigue behavior.

It is assessed that one of the hinges located on the upper part of both wings may have come out of its housing, contacted the aircraft’s left tail-fuselage section, and possibly struck the vertical stabilizer, causing structural damage that could have contributed to the crash.

Again, the flight data recorder confirmed that everything was normal until the crash, with no malfunctions detected, and the record ended when the tail cone separated from the fuselage," the statement added.