Wheel of a Pegasus passenger plane catches fire during landing in Germany

A plane was evacuated on a German runway after the wheel caught on fire while landing. 

Passengers were forced to use emergency slides after the incident on an airport runway in Düsseldorf, Germany.  

The plane, a Pegasus Airline craft, had flown from Istanbul to the city, and was carrying 163 passengers, reports said.  

Earlier this month, another Pegasus plane skidded off the runway in the Turkish city of Istanbul, causing dozens of flights at the airport to be diverted or cancelled.

The Boeing 737-800 from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, operated by Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus, skidded as it landed at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport amidst wet weather conditions.    

Part of the incident was caught on video and uploaded to social media. 

Images on social media showed how the plane appeared to have skidded across the runway into a patch of soft grass. 

One image showed the stricken plane, splattered with what looks like dirt across its body, and inflatable slides deployed outside each exit. Firetrucks and emergency personnel can be seen gathered around the plane. 

Another photograph showed a close-up of crew, and a tractor, working to extricate the plane from the soft ground. 

Istanbul governor’s office said there were no deaths or injuries and all 164 passengers were safely evacuated, by emergency slides. 

In a statement a Pegasus airline spokeswoman confirmed one of its planes travelling from the UAE had experienced a ‘runway excursion’. 

She said all passengers and cabin crew had disembarked the aircraft safely, and investigations were underway into what happened. 

 ‘We will continue to provide information with regards to any further updates,’ she said.