Due to a mechanical fault in the Turkish Airlines plane that departed from Katunayake for Istanbul, Turkey, it was diverted and landed at the Katunayake Airport. The technical fault occurred in the wheel system of the French-made A 330 Airbus Turkish aircraft.
Therefore, its wheels could not be retracted and the pilot of the plane was able to land the plane safely at the Katunayake Airport in the early hours of this morning (17) amidst serious danger.
This Turkish Airlines flight, TK733, departed from the Katunayake Airport for Istanbul at around 10 pm last night. At that time, there were 202 passengers and 10 crew members on board.
Shortly after the plane took off, the pilot realized that its landing gear had not retracted properly. Accordingly, he obtained permission from the Katunayake Airport for an emergency landing. However, since the plane had already been refueled for a flight to Turkey, the pilot was instructed to remove the fuel and lighten the plane.
Accordingly, the pilot, who took his plane to the Chilaw sea area, kept it at an altitude of about 4000 feet and flew at a speed of about 140 knots to burn off the fuel in the plane. The pilot had spent more than two hours on this.
Finally, the pilot of the plane was able to land the plane safely at the Katunayake Airport at 12.27 am today (17).