Pilot in Istanbul airport crash arrested

A court has ordered the arrest of the pilot of a plane that slid off the runway at an Istanbul airport, killing three passengers

The crash site of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

Rescuers work around the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

A Turkish soldier stand guard as rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

Turkish soldiers stand guard as rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

Rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

Rescuers carry a person extracted from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

Rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. AFP

A Police officer stands guard near the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J plane wreckage, after it overran the runway during landing and crashed, at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey February 6, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Firefighters douse the plane with water. Reuters

First responders and paramedics work at the site. Reuters

The plane's shattered fuselage. Reuters

An overview of the crash site. Reuters

First responders and paramedics work at the site. Reuters

A Turkish soldier stand guard as rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul on February 5, 2020. The plane carrying 171 passengers from the Aegean port city of Izmir split into three after landing in rough weather. Officials said no-one had lost their lives in the accident, but dozens of people were injured. / AFP / Ozan KOSE

Turkish soldiers stand guard as rescuers work to extract passengers from the crash of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 airplane, after it skidded off the runway upon landing at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul on February 5, 2020. The plane carrying 171 passengers from the Aegean port city of Izmir split into three after landing in rough weather. Officials said no-one had lost their lives in the accident, but dozens of people were injured. / AFP / Ozan KOSE

The pilot of a plane that crashed earlier this month at an Istanbul airport killing three passengers, has been arrested on charges of “involuntary manslaughter and causing injury,” Turkey’s state-run news agency said.

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 ran off the runway at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport on February 5, crashed into a ditch and broke apart while landing in bad weather. Some 180 passengers and crew members were injured in the crash that saw passengers scramble through the split fuselage to escape.

Anadolu Agency said prosecutors investigating the crash interrogated the pilot following his discharge from a hospital where he had been treated. A court in Istanbul later ordered the pilot, identified only as M.A., to be arrested pending trial, Anadolu said.

Prosecutors have taken statements from air traffic control staff, airport employees and the pilots of two other planes that aborted landings shortly before the Pegasus flight landed.

The crash happened as the 11-year-old aircraft landed in strong winds and heavy rain. US aviation investigators have also inspected the wreckage to see if there were any technical factors that could have contributed to the accident.

Pegasus has had several recent instances of overshooting runways.

Another Pegasus Airlines plane skidded off the runway at the same airport on January 7, causing the temporary closure of the airport. There were no injuries.