Turkish Airlines Flight TK 1878 Makes Emergency Landing As Engine Catches Fire

A Turkish Airlines' plane made an emergency landing Saturday due to engine failure and left a trail of sparks and smoke as it landed. Flight TK 1878 had failed to land at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on its first attempt.

Firefighters reached the runway and put out the fire on the Airbus A320, Reuters reported. All 97 passengers on board the plane, which was traveling from Milan to Istanbul, were evacuated safely.

"Turkish Airlines' TK 1878 flight from Milan to Istanbul skipped Ataturk Airport during its first landing. It drove off the runway after declaring an emergency landing," Ali Genc, the company’s spokesman, said, according to Reuters, adding: "All 97 passengers have been taken to the terminal with no health problems. The reason for the incident will be clear after the investigation."

The Associated Press (AP) had cited local media reports saying that the plane’s engine had caught fire during the flight. However, Genc said, according to the AP, that it was not clear if the engine caught fire during the flight or while landing on the first failed attempt.

The latest incident is one of several similar instances of aircraft troubles.

Last month, a plane from the same airline headed to Brazil from Istanbul was forced to land in Casablanca, Morocco, due to a bomb threat on the flight, Reuters reported. However, authorities did not find any threat and the plane resumed its flight after three hours.

On Friday, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Denver after it faced a pressurization problem.