Black box holds key as Libya and Turkey expand joint crash inquiry

Turkey’s Chief Public Prosecutor and a Libyan investigative delegation visiting Ankara have agreed to send the black box from the crashed aircraft to Germany for analysis, Libya’s Interior Ministry has said.

According to the ministry, the Turkish prosecutor confirmed his readiness to share all documents and relevant CCTV recordings linked to the incident with the Libyan authorities. He also expressed his willingness to issue a formal letter to his Libyan counterpart, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour, outlining the investigative steps taken and the approvals governing the joint inquiry.

The ministry added that Turkish authorities have received the results of DNA tests conducted by Libya’s Criminal Investigation Department on the victims’ families, in order to complete identification procedures and carry out the necessary comparisons.

Earlier, Turkey’s Transport Minister, Abdul Qadir Uraloglu, said the black box would be sent to what he described as a neutral country. Turkish officials had previously told Libyan media that France was being considered as the destination, before Germany was ultimately agreed upon.

The black box: a crucial piece of evidence
The flight data recorder, commonly known as the “black box”, is one of the most critical devices on board modern aircraft. Scientifically referred to as a Flight Data Recorder (FDR), it documents the aircraft’s performance throughout the flight, second by second.

Commercial and private aircraft are typically fitted with two recorders: one installed near the front of the aircraft and another in the tail section. Together, they capture flight parameters, performance data and cockpit voice recordings, enabling investigators to reconstruct the sequence of events in the event of a crash.

The device records dozens of technical indicators, including altitude, speed, flight direction and engine performance, as well as sounds from inside the cockpit. This makes it a central tool in determining the causes of aviation accidents, and a top priority for recovery teams after any crash.

Despite its name, the black box is not black. It is painted bright orange to make it easier to locate among debris or underwater. The colour was officially adopted when the use of flight data recorders became mandatory in 1967, though the original name has remained in popular use.

Built from highly durable materials such as titanium, the black box is designed to withstand extreme impacts, intense fires and enormous pressure, whether from high-altitude crashes or deep-sea immersion. It is usually positioned in the aircraft’s tail, where the chances of survival are statistically higher, a design principle still followed today.

Senior Libyan figures among the victims
The aircraft, a private jet, crashed under unexplained circumstances while carrying Libya’s Chief of General Staff, Mohamed Al-Haddad, along with the Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Vittorio Grebiel.

Also on board were the Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority, Mahmoud Qatioui, the Chief of Staff’s adviser Mohamed Al-Assawi, and the official photographer of the General Staff, Mohamed Mahjoub.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.