An Azerbaijani Airbus 319 airliner of the AZAL company swerved off the runway while landing at Ataturk airport in Istanbul. The pilot may be responsible, 1news.az reports, citing a communique of the AZAL air company.
The airplane was flying from Baku carrying 119 passengers. According to information of the Turkish media, the plane had malfunctions in the engine and the pilot lost control of the plane. The landing strip was temporarily closed.
The General Consul of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Hasan Zeynalov, said that it was a lucky accident that there were no victims, but the plane was damaged. The schedule of the airport in Istanbul underwent changes. Another plane will arrive from Baku to evacuate the passengers.
Specialists from Azerbaijan and Turkey are investigating the incident. According to the preliminary theory, the captain is responsible for the incident because he did not adjust the plane's speed while landing. The front chassis and the covering of the engine were damaged.
