Antalya Airport Plane Incident: Landing Gear Failure & Emergency Evacuation

Antalya Airport Experiences Two Landing Gear Incidents on Same Day

Antalya Airport in Turkey experienced two separate incidents involving aircraft landing gear on Thursday, February 13, 2026. The first involved a SunExpress flight preparing for takeoff, and the second involved a Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 after landing.

The more serious incident occurred with a SunExpress aircraft scheduled to fly from Antalya to Gaziantep. According to reports from Turkish media, the plane’s landing gear detached while the aircraft was moving toward the runway for takeoff. The takeoff was immediately halted, and all passengers were safely evacuated. No injuries were reported among those on board. Emergency and technical teams were dispatched to secure the area, and the aircraft was moved to the apron for further inspection.

A statement from SunExpress CEO reportedly indicated that this incident was not an isolated event, suggesting potential broader issues. However, details regarding the cause of the landing gear failure and potential disruptions to subsequent flights have not yet been released by the airline.

Earlier in the day, a Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 was evacuated after landing at Antalya Airport due to smoke observed emanating from the aircraft’s landing gear while taxiing. The evacuation was carried out promptly using the aircraft’s emergency slides, and no injuries were reported among the 260 people on board.

Initial findings from an investigation launched by Turkish Airlines suggest a hydraulic failure was the cause of the smoke. The aircraft involved remains on the ground as of Friday, February 13, 2026.

The Turkish Airlines flight, TK2430, regularly operates between Istanbul Airport (IST) and Antalya (AYT). The flight has a scheduled block time of one hour and 35 minutes, though the actual flight time is typically less than an hour. Widebody aircraft, including Boeing 787s and Airbus A330s, are frequently used on this route due to sufficient demand.

These incidents have briefly disrupted operations at Antalya Airport, though authorities have stated that operations continued under controlled conditions following both events. Technical investigations are underway to determine the precise causes of both landing gear failures.