What happened here
1 / 3 A Turkish military Sikorsky S-70 helicopter crashed in the Samankoy neighbourhood on the southern edge of Malatya, eastern Turkey, at about 6.45 pm on Thursday 12 November 2026. Four service members aboard were killed, according to the Defence Ministry, which said the cause is not yet determined. The wreckage burned near houses, a garden wall was demolished and no one on the ground was reported hurt. Reports differ on the region, and the cause is not determined.
Quick answers
What happened in Malatya?
At about 6.45 pm on Thursday 12 November 2026 a Turkish military Sikorsky S-70 helicopter crashed in the Samankoy neighbourhood on the southern edge of Malatya. Four service members aboard were killed.
Was anyone on the ground hurt?
No casualties on the ground were reported. Flames reached a nearby house and a garden wall was demolished.
What caused it?
The Defence Ministry says the cause is not yet determined. No report states why the helicopter came down.
Who is investigating?
The Malatya chief public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation, and the crash investigation team continues its examination.
What kind of helicopter was it?
A Sikorsky S-70, a family of helicopters that includes the Black Hawk, which Turkey operates widely.
What should I do if an aircraft falls near me?
Move well away from the fire and smoke, call 112 with the district and a landmark, and do not touch the wreckage.
What happened
The Malatya helicopter crash happened at about 6.45 pm local time on Thursday 12 November 2026. A Turkish military Sikorsky S-70 helicopter came down in the Samankoy neighbourhood on the southern outskirts of Malatya, in eastern Turkey. The Turkish Defence Ministry said four service members aboard were killed and that the cause is not yet determined. Hurriyet Daily News, AeroTime and UPI report the same toll. Reports differ on the region in which the crash happened.
Television pictures showed the wreckage burning on open land near a group of buildings. Media reports said flames reached a nearby house and that a fragment demolished a garden wall, with no casualties on the ground. The bodies of the four were flown to Ankara after a ceremony at the airport at 5 am on 13 November. The Malatya chief public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
This page names no one. It sets out what is reported, where the reports differ and what a crash near homes teaches residents and responders.
What the reports say
- When: About 6.45 pm local time on Thursday 12 November 2026 (AeroTime; Hurriyet Daily News says in the evening)
- Where: Samankoy neighbourhood, Yesilyurt district, on the southern outskirts of Malatya, eastern Turkey (Hurriyet Daily News; AeroTime)
- Aircraft: A military Sikorsky S-70 helicopter, announced by the Defence Ministry (AeroTime; Hurriyet Daily News)
- Deaths: Four service members aboard, all killed (Defence Ministry as quoted by Hurriyet Daily News; AeroTime; UPI)
- Ground casualties: None reported; flames reached a nearby house and debris demolished a garden wall (Hurriyet Daily News)
- Cause: Not determined, according to the Defence Ministry; the Defence Ministry gave no details of the mission (Hurriyet Daily News; AeroTime)
- Investigation: The Malatya chief public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation; a deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors were assigned (AeroTime, citing Anadolu Agency)
- Response: Police, firefighters and medical teams went to the site; the bodies were flown to Ankara after a ceremony at the airport at 5 am on 13 November (AeroTime; Hurriyet Daily News)
- The aircraft type: The S-70 family includes the Black Hawk, which can carry up to 11 soldiers plus its air crew; Turkey operates the type widely (Hurriyet Daily News; AeroTime)
- Identities: The service members were not named in the reports we read; we name no one
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- The region: ABC News, carrying a wire report, headlines the crash as in southern Turkey; Hurriyet Daily News, AeroTime and ekathimerini place it in the east, in Malatya. We say eastern Turkey.
- The district: Hurriyet Daily News says the Samankoy neighbourhood on the southern outskirts of Malatya; AeroTime says a neighbourhood in Malatya’s Yesilyurt district. Samankoy is in Yesilyurt, so we give both.
- The date: Hurriyet Daily News and AeroTime say the crash was on 12 November; the UPI page is dated 13 November. We say Thursday 12 November.
- The cause: The Defence Ministry says it is not yet determined. No report states why the helicopter came down. We do not say.
What this crash teaches
A military helicopter that falls on the edge of a town puts people on the ground at risk, as well as those aboard, and a crash with fuel and a fire can spread to buildings in minutes. The reports say the helicopter came down on open land near houses, a garden wall was hit and flames reached one house, but no one on the ground was hurt. The cause is a matter for the Defence Ministry and the prosecutor, and the reports give no finding yet. These are early statements, not findings.
We have covered similar events, among them the Indonesia firefighting helicopter crashes in Kalimantan, the Pheriche helipad helicopter collision in Nepal, the Joshimath helicopter crash in Uttarakhand and the Biscayne Bay helicopter crash in Florida. Our guide to pilgrimage helicopter flights in India sets out what to check before you fly, and our guide to how helicopters drop water on forest fires explains how helicopter operations work on the ground.
We do not know why the helicopter came down, or what the investigation will find. We will update this page when a finding is published.
- The helicopter crashes on open land at the southern edge of Malatya near homes (AeroTime; Hurriyet Daily News)
- The Defence Ministry announces four service members are dead and the cause is not yet determined (Hurriyet Daily News)
- Police, firefighters and medical teams work at the site; television shows the wreckage burning (AeroTime)
- The bodies are flown to Ankara after a ceremony at the airport; the crash investigation team continues (Hurriyet Daily News)
- The Malatya chief public prosecutor's office opens an investigation (AeroTime, citing Anadolu Agency)
Why consequences escalated
- A Turkish military Sikorsky S-70 helicopter crashed on the southern edge of Malatya at about 6.45 pm on 12 November 2026.
- Four service members aboard were killed; no casualties on the ground were reported.
- The Defence Ministry says the cause is not yet determined; a prosecutor has opened an investigation.
- The wreckage burned near houses and a garden wall was demolished.
- The reports differ on the region in which the crash happened.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No investigation finding has been published. The reports leave these questions open:
- Why the helicopter came down.
- What the mission was and who was aboard.
- Whether weather, a fault or something else played a part.
- How close the helicopter came to the houses before it fell.
- These are open questions, not findings of fault.
Actions that reduce risk
- Residents near a crash: move away from the fire and smoke and keep well back; fuel and fire can spread to buildings.
- Bystanders: call the emergency number and give the district and a landmark; do not film instead of calling.
- Responders: secure the area for fire, ambulance and investigators and keep the public away from the wreckage.
- Authorities: publish the findings and review flight paths near built-up edges of towns.
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