Plane skids off Istanbul runway, breaks into pieces; 52 hurt

A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday as it tried to land in Istanbul, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Authorities said at least 52 people were injured, and passengers were seen evacuating through the cracks in the plane.

Television footage showed serious damage to the plane, with the fuselage appearing to be broken into three pieces at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport. NTV television reported the plane, which belonged to the low-cost airline Pegasus, arrived from the city of Izmir. NTV said it caught fire after skidding but said the blaze had been extinguished.

Pegasus Airlines Plane PC2193 With 177 Passengers From Izmir Skids Off Crash On Runway At Istanbul Sabiha Gokçen Airport. 52 Injured🤕No Deaths Reported 🎥:Unknown #Turkey🇹🇷#Pegasus #Crash #Plane #Airport #Izmir #PlaneCrash #PC2193 #Gokçen #Sabiha #SabihaGokçen #Boeing #Türkiye pic.twitter.com/sn9r8V1FwT

— marknehpets.com (@mapkpets) February 5, 2020

The plane belonging to a low-cost airline caught fire after skidding but the blaze was extinguished. Photo / AP

The airport was shut down and flights were being diverted to Istanbul's main airport.
Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said at least 52 people were injured in the accident and have been hospitalised. His office said the plane was carrying 177 people, including six crew members.

Live television footage showed dozens of rescue crew members working around the flood-lit fuselage, including around the cockpit, which had flipped over.
The Transportation Ministry said there had been no deaths in what it called a "rough landing."

Rescue teams near debris of the passenger plane that skidded off the runway in Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, breaking into three pieces. There are no reported fatalities. Photo / Getty

"According to the information we have, there was a rough landing. The accident occurred after (the plane) could not decelerate and rammed into a field from the end of the runway," state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mehmet Cahit Turan as saying.

He added that authorities have had "no contact" yet with the pilots.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane is a Boeing 737.

At least 52 passengers were injured but there have been no reported fatalities in the crash, which left the plane smashed into three pieces. Photo / AP

Video PLANE CRASH Pegasus #PC2193 Boeing 737-800 from Izmir went off the runway in Istanbul and broke apart. Front section separated and flipped while the rear of the plane has a large crack. A small fire was seen near the rear. Approx 180 people on board.pic.twitter.com/1EluP3bqpw

— Tom Podolec Aviation (@TomPodolec) February 5, 2020

The accident comes a month after another Pegasus plane skidded off the runway in Istanbul at the same airport. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on January 7.

It is rare for a fuselage to split open while pieces remain largely intact. Planes are designed to absorb impact forces in the bottom of the fuselage to improve the chances that passengers in the cabin above will survive.

Rescue members and firefighters work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Photo / AP

In 2013, the tail of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 broke off after the jet hit a seawall during approach to San Francisco International Airport. Three people died, 49 were seriously injured and scores more suffered minor injuries, according to the U.S. accident report.

That same year, a Lion Air Boeing 737 split in two after landing in shallow water short of the runway in Bali, Indonesia. All 101 passengers and seven crew members survived.

- AP