Two pilots were allegedly flying under the influence when a brand-new private jet crashed while landing this week and erupted in flames on the runway.
The 2026-built Cessna Citation Latitude, operated by a Turkish company, was landing at Misrata International Airport in Libya on Monday when it veered off the runway and crashed, Arab News reported.
Photos and video obtained by Jam Press showed thick, dark smoke rising from the aircraft’s charred and mangled wreckage.
Only three people were aboard: a German pilot, a Turkish co-pilot and a Turkish flight attendant. Arab News, citing the independent Libyan outlet Al-Ahrar TV, reported that no one was injured.
Libyan state prosecutors said investigators found “evidence that (the pilots) had flown the aircraft while drunk.” The pilot and co-pilot were subsequently arrested and placed in pretrial detention.
Prosecutors alleged that the pilots posed “a real threat” to the airport and other travelers in the airspace.
BKNJET Aviation Co., the Turkey-based operator of the jet, rejected the Libyan government’s claims.
“No verified result or document indicating any such finding regarding alcohol has been received by us,” the company said.
The aircraft had departed Istanbul Atatürk Airport without passengers and was heading to Misrata to collect VIP travelers.
The crash briefly disrupted operations at Misrata International Airport on Monday.
