Pilots reportedly warned about bad weather before 'rough landing' that killed 3 in Turkey
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor &
Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Updated Aug 7, 2020 4:30 PM EDT
In Instanbul, Turkey, a plan overran a wet runway and skidded off. The accident led to three fatalities and 179 people injured.
Three people were killed and 180 were injured when a plane broke into three pieces after it slammed into a runway at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Wednesday evening. The crash landing happened amid rainy and windy weather.
Turkey’s Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan referred to the incident as a “rough landing,” according to Reuters.
Out of the 177 passengers and six crew members, three fatalities have been confirmed, according to BBC News.
Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, said the injured victims were taken to 18 different hospitals.
“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50 to 60 meters (165- 197 feet),” Yerlikaya said at a news conference, according to Reuters.
CCTV footage obtained by Reuters showed the plane overrun the runway and appear to catch on fire as it scraped along the ground before it fell into a ditch.
The New York Times reported that Turkish news media footage showed passengers climbing out of the wreckage and onto the plane's wing.
Engin Demir, a passenger on the plane who was injured, told NTV television that he noticed the speed of the plane, a Boeing 737, as it landed, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“With the speed, I think it was not able to stop. It all happened in 2-3 seconds,” he said in an interview from a nearby hospital.
Fears that the plane would explode contributed to the frantic evacaution, including for one passenger who escaped with a broken arm.
“There was panic and shouting. Everyone was calling for help. I got out of the plane on my own, with a broken arm, I (climbed) 30-40 meters. I heard announcements that the plane could explode,” Alper Kulu told DHA News Agency, according to the AP.
The cause of the crash is unclear at this time, but unsettled weather was present at the airport at the time of the incident. According to FlightRadar24, the plane landed at 6:19 p.m. local time.
“Rain and thunderstorms moved across the area from 5:20 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister said.
“A wind gust near 40 mph (65 km/h) was reported at the airport at 6:20 p.m. local time,” Leister added. This was right around the time that the plane crashed at the airport.
Visibility was around 4.5 miles with clouds around 5,000 feet above the ground, Leister said, adding that "temperatures were well above freezing in the area [at the time of the crash]."
Soldiers guard the wreckage of a plane operated by Pegasus Airlines after it skidded Wednesday off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Flights resumed Thursday after the airliner skidded off a runway, killing three people and injuring dozens. The Boeing 737 landed during strong winds and heavy rain and overshot the runway. It skidded about 50-60 meters (yards) before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 30 meters (98 feet) (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Work continued on Thursday to investigate the cause of the crash and sift through the debris. Members of the Turkish military were dispersed to the scene to guard the plane wreckage.
Sabiha Gokcen Airport was closed for a time immediately following the crash and flights were diverted to other airports.
The plane, which was operated by low-budget airline Pegasus Airlines, was attempting to land in strong tailwinds, the same winds that had forced two other previous flights to delay landing, according to Turkish news media via Reuters.
The Times reported that audio released by NTV indicated airport officials had warned pilots about the strong winds.
The plane had been traveling from the city of Izmir, located in western Turkey.
"Pegasus Airlines shares in the profound sorrow of all the people affected by this tragic accident," the airline said in a statement on Twitter. "Above all, we would like to express our profound sympathy and heartfelt condolences to those families and friends who have lost loved ones and extend our thoughts to them at this difficult time."
"Our injured passengers continue to be treated in hospital and we wish them all a swift recovery," the statement read.
Just two years ago, Pegasus had another incident where a plane slid off a runway at a Turkish airport. In that accident, the plane skidded off the runway at Trabzon Airport in northeastern Turkey where it fell over an embankment and nearly plunged into the Black Sea. All 162 passengers on board were safely evacuated.
Wednesday's plane incident came amid a stormy pattern in Turkey which had already produced deadly consequences elsewhere in the country.
In Turkey's Van Province, located in the country's eastern region, multiple avalanches struck from Tuesday night into Wednesday, killing at least 41.
Three were killed in the initial avalanche Tuesday night, but on Wednesday, a second avalanche buried a number of rescuers who had responded to the scene. At least 50 people have been hospitalized following the second avalanche.
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News / Severe Weather
Pilots reportedly warned about bad weather before 'rough landing' that killed 3 in Turkey
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor & Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Updated Aug 7, 2020 4:30 PM EDT
In Instanbul, Turkey, a plan overran a wet runway and skidded off. The accident led to three fatalities and 179 people injured.
Three people were killed and 180 were injured when a plane broke into three pieces after it slammed into a runway at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Wednesday evening. The crash landing happened amid rainy and windy weather.
Turkey’s Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan referred to the incident as a “rough landing,” according to Reuters.
Out of the 177 passengers and six crew members, three fatalities have been confirmed, according to BBC News.
Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, said the injured victims were taken to 18 different hospitals.
“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50 to 60 meters (165- 197 feet),” Yerlikaya said at a news conference, according to Reuters.
CCTV footage obtained by Reuters showed the plane overrun the runway and appear to catch on fire as it scraped along the ground before it fell into a ditch.
The New York Times reported that Turkish news media footage showed passengers climbing out of the wreckage and onto the plane's wing.
Engin Demir, a passenger on the plane who was injured, told NTV television that he noticed the speed of the plane, a Boeing 737, as it landed, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“With the speed, I think it was not able to stop. It all happened in 2-3 seconds,” he said in an interview from a nearby hospital.
Fears that the plane would explode contributed to the frantic evacaution, including for one passenger who escaped with a broken arm.
“There was panic and shouting. Everyone was calling for help. I got out of the plane on my own, with a broken arm, I (climbed) 30-40 meters. I heard announcements that the plane could explode,” Alper Kulu told DHA News Agency, according to the AP.
The cause of the crash is unclear at this time, but unsettled weather was present at the airport at the time of the incident. According to FlightRadar24, the plane landed at 6:19 p.m. local time.
“Rain and thunderstorms moved across the area from 5:20 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister said.
“A wind gust near 40 mph (65 km/h) was reported at the airport at 6:20 p.m. local time,” Leister added. This was right around the time that the plane crashed at the airport.
Visibility was around 4.5 miles with clouds around 5,000 feet above the ground, Leister said, adding that "temperatures were well above freezing in the area [at the time of the crash]."
Soldiers guard the wreckage of a plane operated by Pegasus Airlines after it skidded Wednesday off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. Flights resumed Thursday after the airliner skidded off a runway, killing three people and injuring dozens. The Boeing 737 landed during strong winds and heavy rain and overshot the runway. It skidded about 50-60 meters (yards) before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 30 meters (98 feet) (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Work continued on Thursday to investigate the cause of the crash and sift through the debris. Members of the Turkish military were dispersed to the scene to guard the plane wreckage.
Sabiha Gokcen Airport was closed for a time immediately following the crash and flights were diverted to other airports.
The plane, which was operated by low-budget airline Pegasus Airlines, was attempting to land in strong tailwinds, the same winds that had forced two other previous flights to delay landing, according to Turkish news media via Reuters.
The Times reported that audio released by NTV indicated airport officials had warned pilots about the strong winds.
The plane had been traveling from the city of Izmir, located in western Turkey.
Related:
"Pegasus Airlines shares in the profound sorrow of all the people affected by this tragic accident," the airline said in a statement on Twitter. "Above all, we would like to express our profound sympathy and heartfelt condolences to those families and friends who have lost loved ones and extend our thoughts to them at this difficult time."
"Our injured passengers continue to be treated in hospital and we wish them all a swift recovery," the statement read.
Just two years ago, Pegasus had another incident where a plane slid off a runway at a Turkish airport. In that accident, the plane skidded off the runway at Trabzon Airport in northeastern Turkey where it fell over an embankment and nearly plunged into the Black Sea. All 162 passengers on board were safely evacuated.
Wednesday's plane incident came amid a stormy pattern in Turkey which had already produced deadly consequences elsewhere in the country.
In Turkey's Van Province, located in the country's eastern region, multiple avalanches struck from Tuesday night into Wednesday, killing at least 41.
Three were killed in the initial avalanche Tuesday night, but on Wednesday, a second avalanche buried a number of rescuers who had responded to the scene. At least 50 people have been hospitalized following the second avalanche.
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