“We were trembling, fearing it would crash while flying over our houses” - eyewitness

When the aircraft flew directly over our houses, our fear doubled and tripled

It circled nearly twenty times at an altitude of about 4,000 feet and a speed of around 160 knots over the Chilaw areas  

By Shrinath Prasanna Jayasuriya  

“We became highly suspicious when a large passenger aircraft was flying unusually low and circling several times in the sky. Because of that, we paid close attention. Everyone in our family went up to the upper floor of the house and observed the aircraft. We were all afraid that it would crash. Many people in the village had woken up and were watching the sky. When the aircraft flew directly over our houses, our fear doubled and tripled,” said Dinith Deemantha, a resident of the Chilaw Sangattha area, who witnessed the Turkish Airlines aircraft circling the skies above Chilaw.  

Dinith, who works at a private finance institution in Chilaw, said they soon realised that the aircraft had encountered a technical fault. “My sister, Sandali, called the Katunayake International Airport and informed them. By then, they told us that steps were already being taken to land the aircraft safely at Katunayake. The officer who answered the call also said that the aircraft’s landing gear was not functioning properly.  

“In any case, the aircraft flew around our area nearly twenty times. Not only us, but everyone in the village went to sleep only after learning that the aircraft had landed safely at Katunayake,” he said.  

Another eyewitness, Gerard Gamini, a retired Army Warrant Officer residing in Kumarakattuwa, Chilaw, said the repeated low-level flying made it clear that the aircraft was in distress.  

“Because the aircraft kept flying low back and forth several times, it was obvious that it had developed a technical problem. The lights from the aircraft illuminated the area. The entire village was awake, watching the dark sky in fear, wondering what was happening. I contacted a retired Major living in Negombo and asked him to immediately inform Katunayake Airport. He did inform the airport authorities,” he said.  

“Our collective hope as a village was that the aircraft would be able to land safely at Katunayake. That wish came true. The whole village went to sleep only after receiving confirmed news that the aircraft had landed safely,” he added.  

The Turkish Airlines flight TK733, which encountered the technical malfunction,  safely touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, at around 12.30 a.m., after all emergency and safety measures had been activated at the airport.  

The pilot had informed Katunayake Air Traffic Control shortly after departing at around 10.00 p.m. on the scheduled flight to Istanbul, Turkey, that the aircraft’s landing gear was not functioning properly.  

There were 202 passengers and 10 crew members on board the aircraft, including 29 Sri Lankan nationals. The pilot assured the passengers that steps were being taken to land safely.  

From the moment the alert was received, airport authorities moved swiftly. Ambulances, medical teams, fire engines and rescue units were deployed within the airport premises, while security measures were strengthened to handle any emergency situation.  

Special rescue teams were stationed on boats in the Negombo Lagoon near the airport, and several ambulances were positioned around the lagoon area. Doctors and all categories of staff at the Negombo District General Hospital were also placed on standby.  

Airport sources revealed that the aircraft was carrying more than 97,000 litres of fuel at the time of departure. As a direct flight from Katunayake to Istanbul usually takes about seven to eight hours, an immediate landing with such a fuel load posed a serious risk.  

Upon realising that the landing gear could not be retracted, the pilot took prompt action and circled the skies above Chilaw to burn off excess fuel before attempting the landing. The aircraft flew at an altitude of about 4,000 feet and a speed of around 160 knots over areas including Chilaw, Kumarakattuwa, Bangadeniya, Kottapitiya, Munneswaram, Bingiriya, Thisogama and Karavitagara, causing fear and curiosity among residents.  

When the aircraft finally touched down at Katunayake, rescue teams and airport personnel were on high alert, fully prepared for any eventuality. Airport authorities arranged accommodation at nearby hotels for all passengers and crew.  

Due to the emergency landing, two other aircraft that were preparing to land at BIA were diverted to the Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport around midnight.  

A senior airport official noted that a failure of the landing gear system is an extremely dangerous situation. Preliminary observations indicate that a fault in a hydraulic pipe caused the malfunction.  

Although aircraft have previously returned to Katunayake after developing technical issues mid-air, informed sources said such prolonged circling over populated areas to burn fuel before landing has not occurred in recent times.  

However, owing to the skill and professionalism of the pilot, a major disaster that could have occurred was narrowly averted.