On Saturday night in Trabzon, Turkey, a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet skidded off a runway during its landing and almost plunged into the Black Sea. A harrowing photo of the scene shows how close the plane was to coming to a halt in the icy waters just off the edge of the runway embankment. The plane was arriving from Ankara, Turkey’s capital city.
The aircraft was attempting to land on a wet runway and couldn’t slow down enough to avoid the skid, according to reports from local media. A YouTube user captured footage from inside the plane, where frightened passengers tried to figure out what was happening, and queued to escape via emergency exits. There is also footage of emergency services on the outside of the plane in the video, hosing it down to prevent a fire:
Early analysis of the incident in media reports say that the motion of the jet was arrested by its landing gear plunging into the muddy hillside. Social media photos believed to be from the scene also show a jet engine separated from the aircraft and floating in the Black Sea:
This morning, more photos emerged from Turkish media showing the resting place of the plane:
Incredibly, none of the 168 people on board, including the pilots and crew, were injured in the incident. The Trabzon airport is reported to still be closed at this time, as accident investigators and emergency services crews continue to work on the scene.