Boeing 737 skids off the runway, breaks into three pieces and bursts into flames as injured passengers and the walking wounded are evacuated at Turkish airport – with no fatalities among the 177 on board reported
- Boeing 737 domestic flight from Izmir to Istanbul skidded off the runway and burst into flames on landing
- Footage showed passengers fleeing from the broken fuselage as the Pegasus Airlines jet went up in flames
- At least 52 people were injured but there have not yet been reports of any casualties despite the carnage
- Do you know anyone aboard the jet, contact [email protected]
A plane skidded off the runway and burst into flames at a Turkish airport on Wednesday afternoon, injuring at least 52 people.
The internal flight from Izmir to Istanbul with 177 passengers on board was touching down at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul in wet conditions, when the Pegasus plane overshot the landing.
Serious damage was caused to the fuselage of the Boeing 737, with passengers being evacuated through the cracks. The plane was buffeted by strong winds and heavy rain lashing Turkey’s largest city.
Officials said no one has been killed in the incident and the blaze was later put out by firefighters.
It is thought some of the passengers are still stuck on the aircraft but emergency workers are currently helping them. There were 12 children among the passengers.
First responders work at the site of the Pegasus Airlines plane crash, that overran the runway during landing, at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport on February 5
Health teams and fire brigade crews are seen near debris of a passenger plane after skidded off the runway in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport
Firefighters douse the Pegasus Airlines plane with water that overran the runway during landing and crashed, at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport on Wednesday
A Pegasus plane skidded off the runway and burst into flames at an Istanbul airport on Wednesday afternoon
Footage shows the Pegasus plane after it skidded off the runway and burst into flames in wet weather conditions
The Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway before coming to rest in a grassy ditch
52 people were injured and taken to hospital, Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on Twitter, but there were no deaths. ‘Efforts to evacuate those affected continue,’ he added. The majority of passengers were able to exit the plane by themselves.
Turkish media said the two pilots, a Turkish national and a South Korean, were seriously hurt.
The ministry says the accident was the result of a ‘rough landing.’
The aircraft belongs to low-budget Turkish airline Pegasus.
Health teams and fire brigade crews are seen near debris of a passenger plane after skidded off the runway
Emergency personnel are pictured entering the wreckage of the Pegasus plane
Several firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to the area. Sabiha Gokcen Airport has been temporarily closed to air traffic
A picture shows the crash site of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul on February 5
The internal flight from Izmir to Istanbul with 177 passengers on board was touching down at Sabiha Gokcen airport
Emergency personnel are pictured at the scene of the crash at Istanbul’s second-largest airport
Footage shared online claims to show injured passengers being transported from the aircraft to the terminal building.
NTV television said the plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a road.
The botched landing caused the cockpit to flip over and damaged the aircraft’s fuselage, which appears to have broken into three pieces.
Local TV images show the passenger plane that skidded off the runway at an airport in Turkey and broken into three pieces
Several firefighters and health workers were sent to the scene
The plane appears to have come to rest in a ditch off the runway on Wednesday, above and below
It is rare for a fuselage to split open while pieces remain largely intact.
Planes are designed to absorb impact forces in the bottom of the fuselage to improve the chances that passengers in the cabin above will survive.
Several firefighters and health workers were sent to the scene at Istanbul’s second largest airport. After darkness fell, dozens of rescue workers in high-visibility jackets surrounded the plane with flashlights.
It is rare for a fuselage to split open while pieces remain largely intact. Planes are designed to absorb impact forces in the bottom of the fuselage to improve the chances that passengers in the cabin above will survive
Footage shared online claims to show injured passengers being transported from the aircraft to the terminal building
Planes were being redirected to Istanbul’s main airport from Sabiha Gokcen, which has been shut down.
The Istanbul public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the incident.
The incident brings the low-budget Pegasus airline’s safety record into focus. It comes just a month after another Pegasus flight skidded off a runway from the same airport.
The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 ended its course in the grass alongside the runway with 164 passengers on board, who evacuated using emergency slides.
In January 2018, a Pegasus Boeing 737-800 slid down an embankment at Trabzon airport on the Black Sea, and landed just metres from the water with its wheels stuck in thick mud.
After four days, the plane was eventually lifted back onto the runway with engineers using cranes. All 162 passenger and six crew were safely evacuated.
Pegasus, which has been flying for 20 years, has a fleet of 83 aircraft, including 47 Boeings and 36 Airbus planes, according to its website.
A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane is seen struck in mud on an embankment, a day after skidding off the airstrip, after landing at Trabzon’s airport on the Black Sea coast on January 14, 2018
A Pegasus airplane is seen stuck in mud as it skidded off the runway after landing in Trabzon Airport, Turkey early Sunday on January 14, 2018. 162 passengers and crew on board were safely evacuated
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