Add The New York Post on Google Two pilots were allegedly both flying drunk when they crashed a brand new private jet this week, causing it to burst into flames on the runway.
The Cessna Citation Latitude, a 2026-built jet operated by a Turkish company, was touching down at Misrata International Airport in Libya Monday when it veered off the runway and crashed, Arab News reported.
Photos and video obtained by Jam Press show dark smoke spewing from the charred and mangled wreckage.
Emergency services extinguish the flames on a private jet at Misrata International Airport in Libya on Monday, Sept. 14. Jam Press Only three people were on board — a German pilot, a Turkish co-pilot and a Turkish flight attendant, according to Arab News, citing independent Libyan outlet Al-Ahrar TV, and no injuries were reported.
The pilot and copilot were arrested for pretrial detention after investigators discovered “evidence that (the pilots) had flown the aircraft while drunk,” according to state prosecutors in Libya.
Prosecutors claimed the pilots posed “a real threat” to the airport and travelers in the airspace.
No injuries were reported in the fiery crash. Jam Press However, the jet’s Turkey-based operator, BKNJET Aviation Co., disputed the Libyan government’s allegations.
“No verified result or document indicating any such finding regarding alcohol has been received by us,” the operator said.
The aircraft had departed Istanbul Atatürk Airport without passengers and was travelling to Misrata to pick up VIP passengers.
The crash caused a brief travel disruption at the Misrata Airport Monday.
