Pegasus Airlines Flight 8622

The aircraft involved; TC-CPF in 2016

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-82R, msn 40879, with serial number 4267, registration TC-CPF and named Zeynep, operated by the Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines. The aircraft took its first flight on 15 November 2012.[1][2] It had flown 9 flights on January 13 with no reports by pilots or ground crew of any damage or issues of any kind.[3]

Flight 8622 is a scheduled domestic flight from Esenboğa International Airport, Ankara, to Trabzon Airport. There were 162 passengers and 6 crew on board. The aircraft landed at 23:26 local time (20:26 UTC). After landing, the aircraft veered left, departed the runway, and slid down a cliff.[1] The aircraft came to rest in a precarious position along the side of the cliff but did not slip into the sea due to the ground being wet and the landing wheels stuck in the muddy ground.[4] An emergency evacuation was ordered by the cabin crew.[5] The aircraft sustained considerable damage,[1] with the right engine detaching and falling into the Black Sea.[6][7] At the time, it was raining with visibility of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi).[2] Following the accident, Trabzon Airport was closed until 08:00 local time (05:00 UTC) on 14 January.[8] The aircraft was removed from the cliff face on 18 January. During the recovery operation, Trabzon Airport was closed, with aircraft being diverted to Ordu–Giresun Airport, Gülyalı.[9] The aircraft was declared a write-off.[2]

The governor of Trabzon Province said that an investigation had been opened into the accident.[10] The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is responsible for investigating aviation accidents in Turkey.

One of the pilots claimed that an engine had a power surge, which caused the excursion via asymmetric thrust.[9] At this time no investigation findings have been published confirming or refuting these claims.

• Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193