UK to analyse black box from crash that killed Libyan army chief
Libya announced on January 1st that the United Kingdom has agreed to analyse the black box retrieved from a plane crash site that killed the Libyan army chief, according to Asharq Al-Awsat via AFP.
General Mohammed Al-Haddad, the Libyan army Chief of Staff, and four of his aides died in a plane crash on December 23rd shortly after their aircraft departed from Ankara. Three crew members, including two French nationals, were also killed in the wreck.
The wreckage was subsequently found by local authorities close to the Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district, approximately 45 miles south-west of Ankara. The black box flight recorder was recovered from farmland in close proximity to the crash site.
Mohamed al-Chahoubi, Transport Minister for western Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) revealed during a press conference in Tripoli that “we coordinated directly with Britain for the analysis” of the black box.
Speaking to AFP, Chahoubi said that a request for the analysis was “made to Germany, which demanded France’s assistance” in examining the data. “However, the Chicago Convention stipulates that the country analysing the black box neutral.”
He continued, “since France is a manufacturer of the aircraft and the crew was French, it is not qualified to participate. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, was accepted by Libya and Turkey.”
Chahoubi explained that the duration of the analysis depends heavily on the condition of the black box, reassuring that “the findings will be made public once they are known.”
Civil Aviation Authority chief Mohamed Shalibek added that such investigations typically take at least a year to complete as robust conclusions can only be made via thoroughly verified evidence.
Chahoubi also urged the public not to lean into any rumours or “false information” circulating online regarding the cause of the crash. Relatively amateur speculative reporting has already flared some minor political tension between Turkish and Libyan observers.
Turkey’s Centre for Combating Disinformation (DMM) firmly denied social media reports claiming that a Turkish Airlines passenger flight to Benghazi was diverted due to security concerns onset by fears of Libyan retaliation for the death of Al-Haddad.
It clarified that the aircraft was diverted solely due to adverse weather conditions, stressing that it had “no connection whatsoever” to political and security concerns linked to the crash.
The DMM stated that “the public is kindly urged not to give credence to such unfounded claims containing disinformation aimed at undermining our relations with friendly and brotherly Libya through a tragic accident.”
The crash has also flared internal political tensions in Libya, taking the form of protests and sharp criticism of the government’s response. Most of the anger has been directed towards Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and the GNU, which militias and local leaders in Misrata accuse of responding inadequately to the incident.
Asharq Al Aswat via AFP, Maghrebi.org, Libya Review
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