Turkish plane overruns runway breaks to pieces

Istanbul: Three people were killed after a Turkish passenger aircraft skidded off the runway after landing and broke into three pieces, the country’s Health Minister said on Thursday. Three people remained in intensive care, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that 179 others were hospitalized with minor injuries, reports Efe news.

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 plane carrying 177 passengers and six crew members aboard was arriving at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen International Airport from Turkey’s Izmir province. “According to the information we obtained, after the hard landing, the plane drifted,” Transportation Minister Cahit Turhan said.

The majority of passengers were Turkish, although local media said at least 22 were foreign nationals from 12 different countries.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said the plane skidded off the runway and then drifted for about 50 meters before falling from 30 meters and breaking into three pieces. Authorities have launched an investigation to examine the black box of the 10-year-old aircraft and determine the details of the accident. This is not the first time the airline has been involved in accidents of such nature.

The crash comes less than a month after another Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 overran the runway at the same airport.

Passengers in the plane, inbound from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, were unharmed in the Jan. 7 incident. (IANS)

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