A passenger plane skidded off the runway and broke into pieces in Turkey

David Slotnick (dslotnick@businessinsider.com)

  • A plane skidded off the runway at Turkey's Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul on Wednesday.

  • Turkey's transportation ministry said that none of the 177 passengers on board were killed. There was no immediate word on injuries.

  • The plane appeared to have broken into at least two pieces in images posted online.

  • This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport on Wednesday, crashing into a road and breaking into pieces, Turkish media reported.

The Turkish transportation ministry said that there were 177 passengers on board, and that there had been no fatalities. The minister, Cahit Turhan, said that there were some injuries, and that the accident was the result of a "rough landing." According to Cirium, there were 6 crew members on board as well.

Footage posted online by Turkish television station NTV showed the plane with heavy damage to its fuselage, with the front portion of the plane — including the cockpit and several rows of seats — appearing to have broken away from the rest of the plane. A second section, closer to the tail, appeared to have broken off as well. Passenger evacuation slides could be seen.

The station reported that the plane caught fire after it skidded, but that the fire was quickly extinguished.

The plane was being flown by Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines. NTV reported that it arrived from the city of Izmir and was landing in Istanbul. The airport was shutdown following the incident.

Initial data show the plane involved was Boeing 737-800 operating as Pegasus Airlines flight 2193.

There was a thunderstorm passing the airport at the time of the accident, bringing gusty winds to the area, the Flight Safety Foundation reported.

Pegasus did not immediately reply to a request for information.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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