Ukrainian investigators believe the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 which suffered a gear collapse at Odessa had initially veered off the runway while landing.
Ukrainian investigators believe the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 which suffered a gear collapse at Odessa had initially veered off the runway while landing.
The aircraft had been operating flight TK467 from Istanbul on 21 November.
Ukrainian investigation authority NBAAI says the aircraft touched down on runway 16 but, during the roll-out, travelled off the side of the runway.
When it attempted to correct the course and return to the runway, it states, the nose-wheel assembly failed.
The aircraft came to a halt on the left edge of the runway with its left-hand main landing-gear on the grass and its right main gear and nose-gear on the runway.
Turkish Airlines says none of the 134 passengers and crew on board the jet was injured. The occupants were evacuated via slides.
There is no confirmation of the type of approach being undertaken by the 737 at the time.
Odessa airport was experiencing an overcast cloud base at 1,800ft but good visibility, although there were gusting crosswinds from the east. The aircraft executed a go-around during its first landing approach.
Odessa airport’s operator is claiming a strong crosswind of up to 33kt was the “cause” of the accident.
“Airport services are taking the necessary measures to remove the damaged aircraft from the runway,” it states, adding that specialised equipment is being transferred to Odessa for the task.
It expects flight services to be suspended until around 18:00 on 22 November.
Construction is in progress on a second, parallel runway located 250m to the west of 16. This will be stronger than the current strip and enable the airport to accept larger aircraft types such as the Boeing 767.
It will also feature Category IIIa landing capability, while the current runway is only certified to Category I, says the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry.
