Pegasus Plane Crash in Turkey, No Fatalities or Serious Injuries
2017 was the safest year in the history of commercial air travel, with just 13 passengers perishing from two commercial aircraft crashes despite a number of other potential large aviation disasters. And it seems 2018 is following 2017's trend. Just two weeks into the year, we have had no deaths or significant injuries, but a pair of close calls due to a pilot lining up on the wrong runway in San Francisco (SFO), and a LOT Polish Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400 landing on its nose in Warsaw when the nose gear wouldn't extend.
Saturday night brought yet another serious incident: a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 (registration TC-CPF) performing flight 8622 from Ankara, Turkey (ESB), to Trabzon, Turkey (TZX), veered off the runway on landing and slid down an embankment. All 162 passengers and six crew survived the crash, with only three passengers taken to a hospital for their injuries.
The German-based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) provided the following preliminary illustration of the accident site:
From skid marks on the runway and tire marks in the grass, it seems the landing was rather unremarkable until the plane took a sharp left turn just before the resulting accident site. The plane remained almost fully intact from the crash, with only the right engine breaking off from the aircraft and tumbling into the Black Sea.
The fact that the aircraft remained intact surely contributed to the fact that there were no serious injuries. Aerial footage shows the results of the crash:
While investigators are looking into exactly what went wrong, it doesn't seem to be the result of winds affecting the landing. Airport weather conditions noted just a 1 knot (1.15mph) wind around the time of the crash.
While the crashed aircraft remains on site, the Trabzon Airport was reopened early Sunday morning with the first arrival landing at 10:28am local time. In a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), pilots have been informed that the wrecked 737 may remain onsite until January 29.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app