139 injured as Turkish plane skids off runway

First responders work at the site of the Pegasus Airlines plane that overran the runway and crashed, at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey

Ahram Online

“A passenger plane skidded off the runway and broke into three parts after landing at an airport in Istanbul on Wednesday”, Turkish media reported.

“The Pegasus Airlines plane was arriving at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport from the Aegean city of Izmir, landing in strong winds and heavy rain”, NTV broadcaster reported.

The aircraft was carrying 177 passengers and six crewmembers. A total of 139 passengers were injured during the crash.

The Boeing 737-86J aircraft split into three pieces after it skidded off a drop of around 30 to 40 metres at the end of the runway. Footage showed the plane landing and continuing at a high speed off the runway.

Transport Minister Cahit Turhan said flights waiting to land in Sabiha Gokcen had been diverted to Istanbul Airport.

Pegasus said in a statement, “the plane had gone off the runway and passengers were being evacuated”. A spokeswoman for the company did not provide further details.