The passenger jet carrying 168 people came within metres of plunging into the sea, after it skidded off a icy runway as it landed at a Turkish Airport.
Panic spread through the Boeing 737-800, as it stopped at the edge of the Black Sea, with its nose dangling precariously off of a cliff edge.
Luckily for the passengers on-board, the wheels became stuck in the icy mud as it left the runway at Trabzon Airport, which may have prevented it from entering deep into the sea.
Pegasus Airlines confirmed in a statement that there were no injuries among the 162 passengers on-board, as well as the two pilots and four cabin crew, after they were evacuated.
The aircraft’s left jet engine was however ripped from its wing during the crash.
One of the passengers, Fatma Gordu, said panic erupted on-board during the landing.
“We tilted to the side, the front was down, while the plane’s rear was up. There was panic. People shouting, screaming”, she told State-run News Agency Anadolu.
The Airport was temporarily shut before reopening on Sunday morning.
Trabzon Governor, Yucel Yavuz, confirmed that all of the passengers and crew on-board escaped uninjured, saying: “We have taken all necessary measures. We will reopen the Airport to air traffic as soon as possible.”
Flights have now resumed in and out of Trabzon.
Post a Comment