a Turkish Air Force C-160D Transall aircraft experienced unknown technical issues shortly after take off from Kayseri Erkile airport, near the city of Kayseri, in the central region of Cappadocia, that forced the crew to return to the airfield and carry out an emergency landing.
During its approach, the aircraft flew very low over the city of Kayseri (it looks like the aircrew was somehow fighting to keep it airborne), where it was filmed from the ground by several people. The clips have immediately gone viral on social media.
The aircraft involved in the mishap, serial 69-036, is a pretty interesting C-160D, one of two special mission aircraft, in the so-called MilKar-2U configuration for EW (Electronic Warfare) radio-frequency jamming systems.
While rarely seen abroad, the aircraft, belonging to the 221 Filo (Squadron), caught a lot of attention from aviation spotters and was one of the highlights of Anatolian Eagle exercise in 2019.
A statement released by the Turkish Air Force says that the aircrew safely escaped the aircraft that veered off the runway after the emergency landing and that the C-160 was only slightly damaged. However, images circulated online, seem to show significant damage to the airframe.
