Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193


Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Izmir to Istanbul in Turkey operated by Pegasus Airlines. On 5 February 2020, the Boeing 737-800 operating the route skidded off the runway while landing at Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Turkey. Three people were killed, 179 people were injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. It was the first fatal accident in the airline's history. The accident came less than a month after another Pegasus Airlines accident involving a Boeing 737 skidding off the runway at the same airport.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a Boeing 737-86J, serial number 37742. It was 11 years old at the time of the crash, having first flown in January 2009. The plane had previously been operated by now-defunct German airline Air Berlin before being acquired by Pegasus in May 2016. Prior to the crash, Pegasus was scheduled to withdraw this aircraft once leasing expired, as the airline is moving to an all-Airbus fleet in the future.
The captain was Mahmut Aslan, and the first officer was Ferdinand Pondaag, a Dutch national.

Accident

Flight 2193 operated within Turkey from İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport, Izmir to Istanbul without incident. At approximately 18:30 local time, the plane attempted to land at Sabiha Gökçen in Istanbul in heavy rain and strong tailwinds. A thunderstorm with strong wind gusts was passing through the area at the time of the accident. Two other aircraft aborted landing attempts at the same airport shortly before Flight 2193 landed.
After what the Turkey's transport minister described as a "rough landing", the aircraft failed to decelerate. It skidded off the east end of the runway and plunged into a ditch, impacting with force that survivors described as like an explosion. The aircraft broke into three sections, with the forward section of the fuselage especially damaged during the incident. Passengers escaped the plane via gaps between the fuselage sections. A fire broke out, which was later put out by firefighters.
Turkey's health minister said three passengers were killed and 179 people were taken to local hospitals with injuries. 12 children were believed to be on board the plane, according to reports from the Turkish media. An investigation of the pilots is to be held based on speculations of crew negligence. The pilots received treatment in the hospital, before they were taken to a police station to provide their statements.
The CEO of Pegasus Airlines Mehmet T. Nane stated on Thursday, that they had regained possession of the plane’s black boxes, and had initiated the decryption of the data from them.