SunExpress Boeing 737 Suffers Landing Gear Collapse at Antalya Airport

A SunExpress Boeing 737-8HC (WL), registration TC-SOB, suffered substantial damage when its left main landing gear leg broke while taxiing for departure at Antalya Airport (AYT) in Türkiye.

The aircraft, operating as flight XQ7646 to Gaziantep Oğuzeli International Airport, had 175 passengers and 6 crew members on board. All 181 occupants were safely evacuated without injury.

Incident Details

The gear collapse occurred as the aircraft was taxiing to runway 36R for departure from Antalya, a key hub for SunExpress, the leisure carrier and joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa Group.

The airline confirmed that passenger and crew safety remained their top priority and stated that Turkish authorities are investigating the cause of the landing gear strut failure.

Operational Impact

Following the incident, TC-SOB was immediately taken out of service for inspection. SunExpress operated the flight using a replacement Boeing 737-8AS (WL), registration TC-SOP, with approximately a five-and-a-half-hour delay.

Aircraft Background

The affected aircraft, TC-SOB, is a ten-year-old Boeing 737-8HC delivered to SunExpress in 2016. SunExpress operates a fleet consisting mainly of Boeing 737-800 variants on domestic and international routes throughout Europe and the Middle East.