Libya’s Public Prosecution has ordered the pre-trial detention of the pilot and copilot of a Cessna Citation Latitude after the private business jet veered off the runway and caught fire while landing at Misrata International Airport on 14 September. The aircraft, reported to have arrived from Istanbul, burned heavily after the landing excursion, but no injuries were reported and the incident was treated as a serious runway event rather than a fatal crash.
Prosecutors examined wreckage from the C680A jet, air-traffic-control and weather records, and witness accounts before questioning the crew. Investigators concluded that both pilots were operating the aircraft while intoxicated and had failed to observe aviation and general safety rules. The operator has disputed that allegation and has said it has not received documented proof of alcohol, leaving the criminal case and the underlying technical findings still open. The official Libyan statement did not identify the pilots or the aircraft operator, although some reports described the jet as Turkish-linked and said one crew member may be German and the other Turkish.