[DEVELOPING STORY] A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 skidded off a runway after landing at Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Turkey, on Feb. 5. 

The Turkish Health Minister reported three persons were killed in the incident and 179 were injured, according to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network (ASN). Turkey’s state-run news bureau Anadolu Agency reported 177 passengers and six crew were on the aircraft.

The aircraft, registered as TC-IZK, was arriving at Istanbul from Izmir operating flight PC2193. 

According to ASN at the time the flight arrived in the vicinity of Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Airport, a thunderstorm was passing with runway 06 in use. PC2193 was cleared to land with wind information given as 270 degrees at 22 knots, gusting to 30 knots translating into a 19 knot tailwind.

The controller then indicated to another flight crew to expect a runway change. Pegasus flight 2193 touched down almost 2,000 m past the threshold with only about 1,000 m left. It failed to come to a complete stop on the runway, went down an embankment and broke in three parts.

According to the ASN, runway 06 has a Landing Distance Available (LDA) of 3000 m. At the runway end there is a 65 m long stopway.

Pegasus Airlines has been involved in two other incidents over the past two years. On Jan. 7, 2020, a Pegasus 737-800, en route from Sharjah International Airport to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen experienced a runway excursion after landing in Istanbul. All 164 passengers and crew disembarked from the aircraft with no injuries. And on Jan. 13, 2018, a Pegasus 737-800, en route from Ankara to Trabzon, skidded off the runway at Trabzon Airport, nearly crashing into the Black Sea. The aircraft came to a stop 25 m from the sea. The 162 passengers and six crew members disembarked with no reported injuries.

The Pegasus accident marks the 19th Boeing 737-800 hull loss since the aircraft entered service in 1998.

Turkey does not make its accident reports public.