Officials said a plane broke into three pieces after it slammed into a runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport while attempting to land on Wednesday evening. The crash landing happened amid rainy and windy weather.Turkey's Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan referred to the incident as a "rough landing," according to Reuters.Three fatalities were confirmed on Wednesday night with several others in intensive care, according to the Associated Press.
Rescue members and firefighters work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Passengers were seen evacuating through cracks in the plane and authorities said at least 21 people were injured. (DHA via AP) Instanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya tweeted that there were 175 passengers on board, including two babies, and six crew members. He said the Provincial Health Directorate confirmed 157 injuries - and that the injured passengers were taken to 18 different hospitals.The
New York Times reported that
Turkish news media footage showed passengers climbing out of the wreckage and onto the plane's wing.
Rescue members work after a plane skidded off the runway at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, crashing into a field and breaking into pieces. Passengers were seen evacuating through cracks in the plane and authorities said at least 21 people were injured. (AP Photo) The cause of the crash is unclear at this time, but unsettled weather was present at the airport at time of the incident. According to FlightRadar24, the plane landed at 6:19 p.m. local time."Rain and thunderstorms moved across the area from 5:20 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Eric Leister said."A wind gust near 40 mph (65 km/h) was reported at the airport at 6:20 p.m. local time," Leister added. This was right around the time that the plane crashed at the airport.The plane was attempting to land in strong tailwinds, the same winds that had forced two other previous flights to delay landing, according to Turkish news media via Reuters.Visibility was around 4.5 miles with clouds around 5,000 feet above the ground, Leister said, adding that "temperatures were well above freezing in the area [at the time of the crash]."The airport was closed for a time immediately following the crash and flights were diverted to other airports."Showers will continue across the area into Thursday morning and may mix with snow before ending on Thursday," Leister said.