Turkish Airlines Flight 1878

The aircraft involved, photographed in 2014
Accident
Date	April 25, 2015 (2015-04-25)
Summary	Hard landing, engine and landing gear damage, runway excursion
Site	Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Airbus A320-232
Aircraft name	Gümüşhane
Operator	Turkish Airlines
IATA flight No.	TK1878
ICAO flight No.	THY1878
Call sign	TURKISH 1878
Registration	TC-JPE
Flight origin	Milan–Malpensa Airport, Italy
Destination	Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey
Occupants	102
Passengers	97
Crew	5
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Survivors	102

Turkish Airlines Flight 1878 was an international passenger flight from Milan–Malpensa Airport, Italy to Atatürk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. On 25 April 2015, the aircraft rolled sharply just before landing, causing a very hard touchdown resulting in substantial damage to the starboard wing and a fire. A go-around was initiated, and the aircraft positioned for a second approach attempt but veered off the runway on the second landing. All 102 passengers and crew survived unharmed.

Accident

At 10:23 local time (07:23 UTC) on 25 April 2015, the A320 operating flight 1878 rolled to the right just before landing on runway 05 at Istanbul and touched down hard from a height of 100 feet (30 m).^[1] A tail strike was followed by a hard landing on the starboard main gear.^[2] This caused substantial damage to the starboard wing, including the rupturing of fuel lines.^[3]

The aircraft made a go-around, climbing to an altitude of 3,800 feet (1,200 m).^[4] During the approach to land on runway 35L, a passenger noticed the damaged wing was on fire. During the second landing,^[1] at 10:41 local time (07:41 UTC),^[4] the aircraft's right landing gear collapsed and the aircraft spun almost 180° off the runway. The airport's fire and rescue service attended the aircraft and the fire was extinguished. All on board evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. There were no injuries reported.^[1] The flight crew claimed that wake turbulence from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which landed ahead of them may have been the reason for the initial roll and contact with the runway.^[2]

Following the accident, the airport was temporarily closed, with flights being diverted to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport or other airports near IST.^[5] Turkish Airlines cancelled 95 flights from Istanbul.^[2]

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was an Airbus A320-200, registration TC-JPE, named Gümüşhane.^[2] The aircraft's manufacturer's serial number was 2941. It had first flown on 18 October 2006 and was repainted into the Star Alliance livery in 2014.^[4] The aircraft was subsequently written off.^[6]

Investigation

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is responsible for investigating aviation accidents in Turkey and has commenced an investigation.^[1]