The plane, a Pegasus Airlines A320neo, was approaching the runway when it encountered severe turbulence due to strong winds at Sabiha Gökçen International airport in Istanbul
A potentially catastrophic incident was averted at Sabiha Gökçen International airport at Istanbul yesterday (Jan 8) as a passenger plane battled extreme weather conditions during its final approach.
The plane, a Pegasus Airlines A320neo, was approaching the runway during a severe storm at Istanbul. Despite attempting a touch down, the plane started shaking due to strong winds.
Witnesses on the ground described the aircraft as appearing unstable as it descended toward the runway before the pilot abruptly climbed back into the clouds.
The flight crew regained full control of the aircraft and, after circling the airfield to wait for a break in the weather, the pilot executed a perfectly safe landing once the immediate danger had passed.
Several other flights experienced minor delays as authorities monitored the shifting wind patterns.
Aviation experts hailed the split second decision of the pilot and the cabin crew to not attempt an emergency landing and pointed to the pilot’s decisive action as a textbook example of safety protocols.
“The decision to abort a landing is often the hardest but most necessary call a pilot can make,” a local aviation analyst was quoted as saying by the Turkish media.
“By choosing to go around rather than forcing a landing in those crosswinds, hundreds of lives were protected,” he added.
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