ISTANBUL, Turkey – Three people are dead and at least 179 have been taken to hospitals after a Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and broke apart while landing in Istanbul.
Passengers scrambled through cracks in the fuselage to escape the wreckage of the plane operated by low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines.
Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said the Boeing 737 with 183 passengers and crew members on board failed to "hold onto the runway" in bad weather and skidded into the ditch from a height of about 98 feet.
Turkish TV channel NTV broadcast a recording of air traffic control telling the pilots that previous flights had reported strong tail winds.
Sahiba Gökçen'de pistten çıkan uçaktan ilk görüntüler https://t.co/f3Y9J1sif6 pic.twitter.com/0kwWiw6XSs
— NTV (@ntv) February 5, 2020
#SONDAKİKA Sabiha Gökçen Havalimanı uçuşlara kapatıldı https://t.co/f3Y9J1sif6 pic.twitter.com/ycRHTZW2IF
— NTV (@ntv) February 5, 2020