Nearly one hundred passengers and crew scrambled down emergency slides in a harrowing evacuation after their Russian passenger jet burst into flames during landing at Turkey’s Antalya airport late Sunday night, with all aboard escaping unharmed.
The Azimuth Airlines Sukhoi Superjet 100, carrying 89 passengers and six crew members from Sochi, Russia, encountered severe difficulties upon landing at 9:34 p.m. local time. Witnesses reported hearing two loud explosions as the aircraft touched down, followed by spreading flames from leaked kerosene on the runway.
“There was panic in the cabin, people started jumping up, trying to get their bags, putting them in the aisle,” said survivor Evgeniya Lavrinenko, a TikTok influencer who escaped with her daughter. “And then a sharp flash in all the windows showed that the fire had burst into flames.”
Preliminary reports suggest the aircraft’s wing may have struck the runway during landing amid challenging wind conditions. The situation rapidly deteriorated as thick black smoke began filling the cabin, forcing passengers to cover their faces while rushing toward the emergency exits.
In a dramatic development that likely saved lives, witnesses described how a passenger managed to force open a stuck emergency door as crew members struggled with it, allowing more people to escape the rapidly deteriorating situation. Passengers fled across the tarmac as fire crews rushed to contain the growing blaze, which had engulfed the lower section of the aircraft.
“My daughter was first, I followed her, screaming all around us. It was very scary,” Lavrinenko recounted. “My daughter was crying, everyone was crying, but luckily everyone survived.”
The seven-year-old aircraft appears to have suffered catastrophic damage. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reports the plane is likely beyond repair, while airport operations were temporarily suspended as emergency crews worked to clear the damaged aircraft from the runway.
Azimuth Airlines acknowledged the incident in a statement, describing it as a “rough landing” caused by adverse weather conditions. Russia’s Federal Aviation Authority, Rosaviatsiya, has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The aftermath of the emergency evacuation left passengers stranded for hours waiting to retrieve their belongings, with some reporting the loss of crucial documents, including passports, during the rushed escape. The incident has raised questions about emergency procedures and passenger behavior during evacuations, as witnesses described chaos when some passengers attempted to retrieve overhead luggage despite the immediate danger.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100, Russia’s premier commercial aircraft project, has faced previous safety concerns, though this marks the first major incident involving the model at a foreign airport since Western sanctions limited Russian aviation operations.
Turkish aviation authorities are coordinating with their Russian counterparts in the investigation, while the airport has resumed normal operations. The incident highlights the critical importance of emergency evacuation procedures and crew training in ensuring passenger safety during aviation emergencies.
