AMC Airlines charter plane makes emergency landing on belly in Istanbul

October 11, 2007 An aging McDonnell Douglas MD-83 passenger jet (registration: SU-BOY) of Egypt's AMC Airlines with 156 passengers and seven crew on a charter flight made an emergency belly landing at the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey after requesting permission to perform an emergency landing for technical reasons.

The plane was returning vacationers to Poland from Hurghada and was bound for Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.

The plane caught fire while belly landing and overshot the runway. One person was hurt. There were no fatalities. The plane is likely a total loss.

The Norwegian pilot said that the landing, which was made in darkness, was possible because of speckless sky at the time.