A passenger jet skidded off the runway at a Turkish airport Saturday and plunged down the side of the cliff just a few feet away from the Black Sea, sparking mass panic among travelers and crewmembers.
The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 168 passengers and crewmembers had a �runway excursion incident� while landing at the Trabzon Airport, the airline said in a statement on Sunday. Photos showed the aircraft on a muddy slope with its nose dangerously close to the Black Sea coast.
�All 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew have been disembarked safely from the aircraft. There has been no loss of life or injury to anyone on-board,� the airline said.
Passengers on the jet told state-run news agency Anadolu there was �panic� and �screaming� when the aircraft careened off the runway.
“We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane’s rear was up. There was panic; people shouting, screaming,” passenger Fatma Gordu said, according to Sky News.
Passenger Yuksel Gordu said that words weren’t enough to describe their fear.
“It’s a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea,” Gordu said. “Thank God for this. I feel like I’m going crazy when I think about it.”
The airport shut down for hours after the incident, but reopened by Sunday. Trabzon Governor Yucel Yavuz said an investigation is being conducted.
D�n ak?am Trabzon’da pistten �?kan TC-CPF kuyruk tescilli u�a??n tahliyesine dair video
� HavaSosyalMedya ? (@HavaSosyalMedya) January 14, 2018
�We�ve taken all necessary measures,� Yavuz told Turkish media. �We will re-open the airport to airport traffic as soon as possible.�
Pegasus Airlines also did not provide further details on what caused the jet to skid off the runway.
(AP)
1 Response
The shortest runway I’ve ever seen… And also the widest!!!