Author: David Averre
15:02 13 June 2024, updated 16:12 13 June 2024
Passengers on a Manchester-bound Boeing 737-800 experienced sheer panic when the pilot was forced to abort take-off just as the plane lifted off the tarmac at an airport in Turkey earlier this week.
The shocking incident occurred on TUI flight TOM213, whose passengers had already been delayed for four hours at Turkey’s Dalaman airport as security crews inspected the plane following engine failure.
Their ordeal was compounded when the moment of take-off finally arrived as the plane briefly lifted off the runway before plunging back down and skidding across the tarmac at high speed.
Horror footage from inside the cabin showed customers screaming in terror moments after the impact, which threw many passengers forward and caused them to hit their faces on the seats in front.
The disturbing incident marks the latest misfortune for the struggling US airline, whose planes have suffered a series of problems in recent months.
One passenger recounted the terrifying experience to The Sun, saying: ‘I thought we had bumped into another plane. As we went down the skid, the flight attendant knelt down and said: ”I have three children!”
“The children were crying and the mothers couldn’t even calm them down. We all thought we were going to die.’
The pilot aborted takeoff at 175 mph, passengers recalled saying, causing the plane to suffer a nasty bump before it washed across the runway for about 10 seconds before finally coming to a stop.
Passengers were heard shouting “get out!” but were forced to remain locked in the cabin for another 30 minutes as emergency services and fire crews surrounded the stricken aircraft.
The pilot then addressed the traumatized passengers over the loudspeaker.
“We had another malfunction on the plane. It looks quite dramatic – I know it’s upsetting.’
But the announcement did little to reassure passengers, as many already suspected the plane was not in a safe condition after crews spent four hours that day repairing an engine fault.
One passenger expressed frustration with the pilot’s explanation, stating: “The plane was never safe to fly. I’m glad the pilot got off the landing because god knows what would have happened otherwise.’
Reports later revealed that the same plane had been diverted from Lisbon two days earlier due to technical problems, while some passengers claimed to smell burning fuel in the back of the plane.
TUI representatives asked passengers to stay in Turkey for an additional three days and rebooked them on the same flight, but many refused to travel on the affected plane and were instead forced to pay fines for accommodation.
One passenger spent £300 on an alternative flight with Spirit Airlines, vowed never to fly with TUI again, and everyone is waiting for information on how to get compensation for the delay and extra costs, not to mention the traumatic experience they’ve had.
A TUI UK and Ireland spokesperson said in a statement: “We are sorry to hear about customers’ experiences following the delayed departure of flight TOM213 from Dalaman to Manchester.
“While we always try to get our customers to and from their holiday as safely and smoothly as possible, unfortunately on this occasion a technical issue delayed the flight’s departure.
“All customers will automatically receive compensation for flight delays and we will learn from this incident to improve communication with our customers.”
MailOnline has contacted Boeing for comment.
Boeing’s planes have suffered a series of problems recently, with the airline under fire after whistleblowers claimed quality control procedures were breached and many planes left factories with defects.
The manufacturer is also under investigation in the US for allegedly violating the terms of a 2021 agreement in which the company avoided charges related to the crashes of two 737 MAX planes that killed hundreds.
Meanwhile, the incident in which the nose of a TUI plane crashed into a runway in Turkey on Monday was eerily reminiscent of several accidents that happened in just two days last month.
Boeing suffered a flat tire on landing in Turkey today, the third passenger plane made by the manufacturing giant to suffer a technical problem or crash in just two days.
A total of 190 people were evacuated from one Turkish Corendon Airlines 737-800 when the flight hit the runway and skidded on May 9 after the front landing gear crumpled on landing.
While none of the 184 passengers and six crew members on the flight from Cologne were injured, the dramatic landing followed another accident just one day earlier at another Turkish airport.
In this accident, a Boeing 767 freighter operated by FedEx made an emergency landing in Istanbul after its front landing gear failed.
Dramatic video showed the plane’s nose sliding across the tarmac as smoke and sparks poured from its fuselage and engines.
Between the two incidents, terrified passengers were forced to flee a burning Boeing 737-300 carrying 78 passengers that skidded off the runway and burst into flames during takeoff in Senegal.
There is no indication that Boeing is to blame for the accidents.
Boeing has also been accused of letting safety slip because it is obsessed with “reviving” diversity goals in staffing, as well as overpaying executives who work from home.
Current CEO Dave Calhoun announced in March that he would step down at the end of this year as part of a management review, with share prices falling.
And passengers are said to be deliberately changing flights to avoid the Boeing fleet or traveling with anti-anxiety medication.
In an emergency landing in Senegal, the plane suffered serious damage when a failed takeoff attempt knocked it off the tarmac and into the bush at Blaise Diagne Airport, outside the capital Dakar.
A clip taken by one horrified traveler showed a customer fleeing the scene of the wreckage as flames shot from the 737’s left engine and lit up the night sky.
Emergency crews rushed to evacuate the passengers, eleven of whom were injured, four seriously.
In the case of the FedEx plane, it had taken off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris early on May 8 and was heading to Istanbul when the pilot realized that the landing gear was malfunctioning.
Disturbing footage showed the moment the plane attempted an emergency landing, touching the runway and scraping its nose against the concrete.
Sparks flew from the plane’s tattered fuselage as it crunched across the tarmac, smoke billowing from behind.
Fortunately, firefighters and rescue teams were already on the scene, the Turkish Ministry of Transport dispatched rescue teams as soon as they discovered that the pilot’s landing gear was malfunctioning.
First responders swarmed to surround the plane as it came to a stop and immediately doused it with firefighting foam to prevent any sparks from igniting the fire.
No one was injured in the incident and the crew evacuated the plane safely, said Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Turkey’s transport and infrastructure minister.