Turkish authorities on Thursday opened an investigation into possible criminal negligence against the two pilots of an airliner that broke up on Wednesday when it landed in Istanbul, killing three people and injuring dozens, media reports said.
The investigation opened by the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office against the two pilots relates to a possible "negligence leading to death and injuries", indicated the state channel TRT. This information could not be immediately confirmed with the prosecutor's office.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737 of the Turkish private company Pegasus, broke in three and caught fire on Wednesday after leaving the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, located on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Bad weather conditions
The plane, which was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members from the city of Izmir in western Turkey, landed in poor weather conditions that authorities have advanced as a possible cause of the accident.
Three Turkish nationals were killed and 179 people were injured in the spectacular accident. The front part of the fuselage, comprising the cockpit and the first rows, dissociated from the rest and turned over. A second fracture was visible at the rear third of the aircraft, including the last 10 rows and the tail of the aircraft.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said the plane had "slipped about 60 meters" after coming off the runway, before "falling from a height of 30 to 40 meters" from an embankment.
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VIDEO. Turkey plane crashes in three after landing, three dead and 179 injured
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