Turkish military S-70 helicopter crashes in Malatya, killing four personnel, Defence Ministry says
A Turkish military S-70 helicopter crashed in the Samanköy area of Yeşilyurt district, Malatya, at about 18:45 local time on Thursday, killing the four personnel on board, the Defence Ministry said. The ministry said the crash happened 'for a reason not yet determined' and that rescue teams reached the wreckage. The crash started a fire that spread to a nearby house before crews put it out, and no civilians on the ground were injured, Turkish media reported. The Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a judicial investigation.
Checking in progress
This story is still being checked. Claims below are published as claims — never dressed as facts — and each one moves only when the evidence earns it.
- Collecting reportsDone
- Grouping the versionsDone
- Checking claims4 of 4 claims checked
- 4Human gateWe are here
4 of 4 claims checked so far · step 4 of 4: Human gate
Key points
- An S-70 helicopter crashed in Samanköy, Yeşilyurt, Malatya, at about 18:45 on Thursday, the Defence Ministry says.
- All four personnel on board were killed; the ministry says the cause has not yet been determined.
- The crash started a fire that spread to a nearby house; no civilians on the ground were injured, DHA reported.
Show more (1)
- Prosecutors in Malatya have opened a judicial investigation.
Watch: the moment itself
Direct video sits at the top of Vozia's evidence ladder — the moment itself, from its owner. Embedded from its home platform; we never download or re-host it.
Video: Haber Global · Watch on YouTube
What happened
The S-70 is Sikorsky's designation for the Black Hawk family of twin-engine military transport helicopters, flown by the Turkish Armed Forces in utility and transport roles.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued condolences to Türkiye over the crash on Friday.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That an S-70 crashed in Samanköy, Yeşilyurt, at about 18:45 on Thursday and that the Defence Ministry says the four personnel on board were killed.
- That the wreckage was reached, a fire spread to a nearby house and was put out, and prosecutors have opened an investigation.
What we don't know yet
- The cause of the crash — the ministry says it has not yet been determined.
- The names of the four personnel, the service that operated the helicopter and the mission it was flying — none has been announced.
- Whether anyone else was on board beyond the four personnel the ministry named as killed.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (4)
Why this label: The crash and the ministry's first statement are reported by Reuters from the ministry's own words.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The death toll is the Defence Ministry's own updated statement, quoted by AFP's report and carried in Reuters' syndication.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The location and time are from Turkish media reporting carried by AFP's report; the fire's spread to a house and the absence of ground injuries are DHA's reporting, attributed as such.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The investigation is Anadolu's report of the prosecutor's office; the gaps are what the ministry's statements, as read, do not contain.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Four service members are dead in a crash whose cause is unknown, in a residential neighbourhood that was lucky to escape ground casualties. The prosecutors' investigation and the military's own inquiry will have to establish whether the cause was mechanical, human or environmental — the same questions left by Türkiye's recent fatal military helicopter crashes.
Background
A Cougar military helicopter crashes near Tatvan in Bitlis province, killing 11 military personnel and injuring two.
Two military helicopters collide during a training flight in Isparta province; six personnel are killed.
An S-70 crashes in Yeşilyurt, Malatya, killing the four personnel on board; the cause is undetermined and prosecutors open an investigation.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published in Checking state — the Defence Ministry has confirmed four personnel killed; the cause of the crash has not been determined and the investigation is open.