Airplane crashes at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: 9 confirmed dead

DutchAmsterdam.nl (updated 5:25pm CET) — A Turkish Airlines passenger jet attempting the land at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport crashed short of the runway into a field on Wednesday morning.

The Boeing 737-800 broke into at least 3 parts. Thus far 9 people are confirmed dead. More than 80 are wounded, 25 of whom seriously. Six of the crash victims are in intensive care. A passenger on the plane who spoke to Turkish network DHA said he saw injured people trapped and squeezed between the seats when he walked off the plane.

Earlier, Candan Karlitekin, head of the airline’s board, told reporters in Turkey that all 127 passengers and 7 crew members on board the Boeing 737 had survived the crash.

Later a list of victims was posted at the airline’s web site. The plane’s pilot and two co-pilots are among the dead.

Turkish Airlines TK1951

The cause of the crash is as yet not known, but there are unconfirmed reports that both engines stalled before the crash. Experts say the fact that there was no fire before or after the crash could point to absence of fuel.

Eyewitnesses saw the plane coming down with its tail end angled toward the ground, which experts say indicates the pilots tried to regain altitude.

A female passenger said there was no panic in the plane as most people did not seem to realize the airplane was in trouble. Instead, some passengers thought the plane had encountered turbulence. There was no warning of an impending crash, and no oxygen masks appeared.

She says that after the plane plan had crashed there was no panic. Instead, people calmly excited.

Reportedly several survivors who climbed out of the plane later went back to retrieve their carry-on luggage.

The weather in Amsterdam was misty this morning. One survivor told a local TV station that when the landing commenced and the plane emerged from the mist she felt they were far too close to the ground.

A woman who lives of a farm near the crash site said she saw the airplane come in too low. She says the plane was shaking and shimmying from left to right.

Flight 1951 came from Istanbul, and crashed shortly after 10:30 AM.

The crash occured 500 meters short of the Polderbaan runway, and about 100 meters from the busy A9 highway.

Authorities closed off the highway to all but ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

According to CNN Turkish officials say the jet built was built in 2003 and last inspected in December.

The European Commission, which every three months produces a list of unsafe airlines, says Turkish Airlines has never been on its blacklist.