Turkish Passenger Plane Crashes at Istanbul Airport with 3 Dead and 179 Injured

A Turkish passenger plane skidded off the runway at Sabiha Gökçen Istanbul Airport and broke into three pieces. The aircraft subsequently caught fire. So far, three deaths have been reported in this incident. 179 people, including the aircraft’s pilots, have been injured.

A Pegasus Airlines passenger aircraft carrying 177 passengers and six crew members that departed from Izmir veered off the runway at Sabiha Gökçen Istanbul Airport during landing and broke into three pieces.

The passenger aircraft skidded off the runway at Sabiha Gökçen Istanbul Airport and broke into three pieces. The aircraft subsequently caught fire. So far, three deaths have been reported in this incident. 179 people, including the aircraft’s pilots, have been injured.

Difficult Landing

Television footage shows that the front section of the aircraft was completely separated, and a deep crack is visible in the rear section of the plane. In the initial broadcast images of the aircraft, flames were seen. The fire has been extinguished.

Turkish news agency reported that the fuselage of the aircraft broke into three pieces. Television images show passengers attempting to quickly exit the aircraft through the cracks.

According to the Turkish news agency’s report, passengers initially evacuated the aircraft on their own, and rescue forces subsequently came to their aid. Turkey’s transport minister said the aircraft performed a “difficult landing” and then went off the runway.

No information has yet been released about the cause of this hard landing. Wednesday in Istanbul had rainy weather accompanied by strong winds.

Second Incident This Year

Television footage shows the aircraft belongs to Pegasus Airlines. According to official reports, among the 177 passengers on this aircraft were several children.

Turkey’s transport minister said that Sabiha Gökçen Istanbul Airport has been closed and flights have been diverted to the main airport of Istanbul metropolitan area.

In early January (about a month ago), another Pegasus Airlines aircraft veered off the runway at this airport. At that time, the Istanbul governor also said that the incident occurred due to bad weather conditions.

Source: DW