Plane Skids off Runway, Dangles Over Cliff

A passenger plane skidded off the runway in Trabzon, Turkey on Saturday, coming within feet of plunging into the Black Sea.

All 162 passengers, along with the crew and captain, were safely evacuated, with only three reports of minor injuries. The plane was a Pegasus Boeing 737, and reports from the area say it took extensive damage in the accident.

The flight was arriving from Ankara, the capital city in Turkey. According to The Aviation Herald, the plane touched down on the runway at around 11:26 p.m. local time. As soon as the landing gear made contact with the ground, the whole aircraft veered left, leaving the runway and tumbling down a slope towards the water.

When the plane finally stopped sliding, it was reportedly 60 meters away from the runway and 60 meters from the runway’s end.

Emergency services arrived on the scene at once, and took the three passengers with minor injuries to the hospital for treatment.

In the morning, news outlets and photographers showed up to document the amazing sight. The plane was still sitting on the embankment where it ended up the night before, precariously facing into the sea. It sat at a steep angle, practically perpendicular with the water’s surface. One can only imagine the terror of the passengers hurtling towards across the ground after such a shocking landing.

No airline officials or investigators have offered any explanation as to how the accident happened.

“What a metaphor for the way we live now,” tweeted Borzou Daragahi, Buzzfeed World News correspondent.