In Pictures

In Pictures: Turkish plane skids off runway, splits into three

A Pegasus Airlines aircraft with 183 people on board crashes at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport, killing three people.

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, 2 — A police officer stands near the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J plane wreckage after it overran the runway during landing at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport. [Murad Sezer/Reuters]

A Turkish airliner skidded off a runway, crashed into a ditch and broke into three pieces while landing in bad weather in Istanbul on Wednesday.

At least three people have been killed and dozens injured in the accident.

Emergency workers, assisted by an excavator, recovered one body from beneath the wreckage before the rescue mission ended.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into the accident, Turkey‘s Anadolu news agency reported.

Pegasus is a privately-owned airline based in Istanbul that flies 97 routes, mostly within Turkey and to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

Last month, a Pegasus plane with 164 people on board skidded off the runway at the same airport in Istanbul. There were no deaths or injuries in that incident on January 7.

In January 2018, another Boeing 737 in the Pegasus fleet slid off a runway at northeast Turkey’s Trabzon Airport and down a dirt embankment. None of the 168 passengers and crew members was injured.

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J plane wreckage is seen, after it overran the runway during landing and crashed, at Istanbul''s Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey February 6, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer — The aircraft was arriving from the western Turkish city of Izmir with 183 passengers and crew on board. [Murad Sezer/Reuters]

Police officers stand near the site of 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 — Three people have died and 179 injured after the plane broke up in three parts, according to authorities. [Ozan Kose/AFP]

Rescue members evacuate an injured person from the wreckage of a plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul''s Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off — Rescue members evacuate an injured person from the wreckage. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said the plane failed to 'hold onto the runway' and skidded up to 60 metres (197 feet) before it dropped into the ditch from a height of about 30 metres (98 feet). [Emrah Gurel/AP Photo]

Rescue members and firefighters around the wreckage of a plane after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul''s Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. The plane skidded off the runw — The plane's two pilots were among those seriously injured. [Emrah Gurel/AP Photo]

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 — Emergency workers, assisted by an excavator, recovered one body from beneath the wreckage before the rescue mission ended. [Can Erok/DHA via AP Photo]

Security personnel stand near the Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-86J plane, that overran the runway during landing and crashed, at Istanbul''s Sabiha Gokcen airport, Turkey February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Murad — Passengers had to evacuate through cracks in the smashed plane. [Murad Sezer/Reuters]

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, cra — The airport was shut down after the incident, which occurred at about 6:30pm local time (15:30 GMT), and flights were diverted to Istanbul's main airport. [AP Photo]