Passengers waiting for takeoff at Turkey’s Antalya Airport on February 13 were jolted from routine into alarm when their SunExpress Boeing 737 suddenly lurched, dropped to the left and came to an abrupt halt on the taxiway. Within seconds, the cabin filled with shouts and confusion as it became clear that the aircraft’s left main landing gear had collapsed during taxi, leaving the jet resting heavily on its engine nacelle with its wing visibly damaged. Although all 181 people on board escaped without injury, the dramatic failure has stirred fresh fears among travelers and raised urgent questions over aircraft maintenance and landing gear integrity.

Sudden Gear Collapse Turns Routine Taxi Into Emergency

The incident occurred on Friday, February 13, 2026, as SunExpress flight XQ7646 prepared to depart from Antalya to Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey. The Boeing 737-800, registered TC-SOB, had already completed boarding, with 175 passengers and six crew members strapped in for the short domestic hop when the jet began taxiing toward the runway.

According to initial accounts, the aircraft was moving along a taxiway near the southern end of Antalya Airport when the left main landing gear strut failed without warning. The structure supporting the wheel assembly gave way, causing the jet to drop and roll left until the engine nacelle and lower wing came into contact with the concrete. Photos circulating on aviation platforms show the left wing crumpled and the gear assembly forced upward into the wing structure, leaving the aircraft tilted at a sharp angle.

Pilots brought the aircraft to a stop as the cabin crew initiated emergency procedures. Although there was no fire, the unusual attitude of the jet and visible damage prompted a rapid response from airport emergency services. Buses and fire trucks surrounded the aircraft on the taxiway as crews assessed the situation and began planning an evacuation.

Evacuation on the Taxiway and Passenger Reactions

SunExpress has confirmed that all passengers and crew were safely disembarked on the taxiway and transported back to the terminal. Instead of slides, which can pose injury risks when the aircraft is relatively stable, ground stairs were positioned against the forward and aft doors, allowing a controlled evacuation.

For many on board, however, the experience was anything but routine. Passengers described feeling a strong jolt and hearing a grinding noise as the aircraft suddenly dipped to the left. In the first moments after the collapse, the tilted cabin layout and sight of emergency vehicles racing toward the plane fueled fears of a more serious accident.

While no injuries were reported, travelers spoke of heightened anxiety and a lingering sense of vulnerability. Some described clinging to armrests as the aircraft came to an abrupt stop, expecting a fire or further structural damage. Others reported tense quiet inside the cabin as crew members assessed the situation over the interphone before issuing instructions to remain seated and calm.

By the time passengers stepped down onto the taxiway, the visual impact of the damaged wing and sagging aircraft reinforced how narrowly a far worse outcome may have been avoided. Aviation experts have been quick to note that a similar gear failure at higher speeds, during takeoff or landing, could have led to a runway excursion or more serious structural breakup.

Airline and Authorities Launch Technical Investigation

SunExpress issued a brief statement characterizing the event as a technical issue involving the landing gear strut and confirming that the aircraft had been taken out of service for a detailed inspection. The company emphasized that the safety of passengers and crew remains its highest priority and noted that a replacement Boeing 737-800 was dispatched to operate the Antalya to Gaziantep service later that day, with a delay of several hours.

Turkey’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has opened a formal investigation into the landing gear collapse, working alongside airport authorities and, likely, technical representatives familiar with the Boeing 737-800 design. Investigators are expected to remove the damaged gear components, analyze fracture surfaces, and review the aircraft’s maintenance and inspection history in detail.

Early speculation in industry circles has touched on several potential causes, including metal fatigue in the gear trunnion or support structure, improper maintenance procedures, or undetected corrosion. Photos from the scene suggest a catastrophic structural failure rather than a simple tire or hydraulic issue, with the gear assembly appearing to have punched into or through parts of the wing’s lower surface.

Because the incident involved a major structural component of a widely used jet type, investigators will also be watching for any parallels with previous main gear collapses on Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft around the world. Any sign of a recurring pattern could trigger broader inspections or service bulletins for operators.

Maintenance History and Questions Over Oversight

Adding to the scrutiny, local aviation reporting in Turkey has highlighted that a different SunExpress Boeing 737 involved in another recent technical issue had undergone maintenance less than two weeks before its failure, putting the airline’s maintenance oversight under a sharper spotlight. In the Antalya taxiway collapse, TC-SOB itself is reported to be around 10 years old, a relatively typical age for a workhorse narrowbody jet in commercial service.

While age alone is not normally a safety concern for well maintained aircraft, the incident raises questions about how frequently critical structures like landing gear trunnions and attachment points are inspected, and whether any subtle warning signs may have been missed. Industry observers note that landing gear assemblies are designed to withstand years of repeated takeoffs and landings, but can be vulnerable to overloading, corrosion, or errors during overhaul in specialized maintenance shops.

Regulators will likely comb through the jet’s maintenance logbooks, shop reports, and non destructive test records for clues. Particular attention may be paid to any recent work on the left main gear, pins, bushings, or associated support structures, as well as to how closely repair stations followed manufacturer instructions. If improper grinding, heat treatment, or installation practices are found, the inquiry could extend to other aircraft serviced by the same facility.

For SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and the Lufthansa Group, the investigation will also test the robustness of its internal safety audits and contractor oversight. The carrier has been in a growth phase, adding new Boeing 737-8 aircraft to its fleet, and any findings that point to shortcomings in quality control or documentation could prompt procedural changes and closer regulatory monitoring.

The Antalya event comes at a time when public confidence in certain aspects of commercial aviation is already under strain, not only because of high profile manufacturing issues but also a series of eye catching gear and wheel incidents. Social media commentary from aviation enthusiasts and passengers has drawn attention to what appears to be a cluster of main gear collapses involving Boeing 737 variants over the past year, though experts caution that such events remain rare given the enormous number of daily flights.

For ordinary travelers, however, statistics do little to offset the visceral anxiety triggered by images of a passenger jet collapsed on one side, wing torn and engine scraping the ground. Many see these photos with no context on the industry’s safety record, experiencing them instead as yet another sign that something fundamental may be amiss with modern air travel, whether in aircraft design, corporate cost cutting, or regulatory oversight.

In Turkey, where domestic air travel is a vital link between cities separated by long distances and rugged terrain, the incident has sparked debate among frequent flyers about airline choice, fleet age and maintenance standards. Some passengers have taken to online forums to say they are reconsidering non essential travel, while others insist that such highly publicized events reinforce, rather than undermine, the culture of safety, because they lead to rapid fix and learn cycles throughout the industry.

Psychologists who study aviation anxiety point out that incidents like the Antalya gear collapse feed into existing fears because they occur at a moment when passengers feel especially powerless. During taxi, travelers are neither taking off nor landing yet, so they often assume that the risk is minimal. A dramatic failure in that supposedly safe phase can erode trust, even when the final outcome is a safe evacuation with no injuries.

How Rare and Serious Are Landing Gear Collapses?

From a technical standpoint, main landing gear failures of this kind are considered serious but remain exceptionally rare events. Landing gear systems on modern commercial aircraft are built with multiple levels of redundancy and are subjected to rigorous inspection schedules governed by both airlines and regulatory authorities. The gear must withstand not only the repeated impact of landings, but also heavy side loads and torsion as the aircraft taxis at high weight, turns, and brakes.

A collapse during taxi, as in the Antalya case, can occur if a critical structural element fails under the combination of weight and motion, particularly if a hidden flaw or material weakness has grown over time. Investigators will look closely at the fracture surfaces of broken components to determine whether the failure was sudden or the result of progressive cracking that should have been detected in earlier inspections.

In many historical examples, a gear collapse leads to severe localized damage: ruptured hydraulic lines, crushed fairings, and scraping of engine nacelles or wingtips. In more extreme cases, fuel lines or wing tanks can be compromised, raising the risk of a fire. That no such secondary hazards arose in Antalya is one reason aviation professionals have described the outcome as relatively fortunate, despite the dramatic photos and understandable fear among those on board.

Once the damaged aircraft is stabilized and towed from the taxiway, engineers face the complex task of evaluating whether it can be economically repaired. When heavy structural elements like wing spars or gear support frames are compromised, operators must weigh the cost and time of repair against the residual value of the airframe and the availability of replacement aircraft.

Operational Disruption and Airport Response

The collapse of a fully loaded passenger jet on a taxiway also poses significant operational challenges for a busy airport like Antalya, which serves as a major gateway for both domestic travelers and holidaymakers bound for Turkey’s Mediterranean resorts. The immobilized aircraft effectively blocked part of the ground traffic network, requiring controllers to reroute departing and arriving flights while emergency crews worked on scene.

Antalya’s airport authority reported that, although some congestion and minor delays occurred in the hours following the incident, flight operations continued with alternative taxi routing. Ground teams coordinated with SunExpress and technical specialists to safely defuel the stricken aircraft, stabilize its damaged wing and gear area, and prepare for a complex recovery operation involving heavy lift equipment.

SunExpress arranged a replacement Boeing 737-800 to carry the delayed passengers to Gaziantep later in the day, with the flight departing several hours behind schedule. For many travelers, the offer of a continuation flight was a welcome show of resilience, but others reportedly chose not to reboard any aircraft that day, opting instead for refunds or rebooking after the shock of the event.

Airport officials have indicated that a detailed internal review of emergency response, communication and taxiway management will follow, in coordination with national regulators. Such reviews assess how quickly the airport’s incident plans were activated, how effectively information flowed between crews, controllers and passengers, and whether any infrastructure or procedures need adjustment to handle similar events in the future.

What Comes Next for SunExpress and Its Fleet

As the investigation into the Antioch taxiway collapse progresses, attention will focus on how SunExpress manages both its technical response and its relationship with anxious passengers. The airline will be expected to cooperate fully with regulators, share emerging findings with other operators as appropriate, and implement any recommended modifications to inspection regimes or maintenance standards.

Internally, SunExpress is likely to conduct its own safety review, examining not only the history of TC-SOB but also the broader condition of its 737 fleet, including aging Next Generation models and newer 737-8 aircraft introduced in recent years. Airlines often use high profile incidents as catalysts to recheck similar components across multiple aircraft, even before regulators issue any formal directives.

Rebuilding passenger confidence will require more than technical fixes alone. Travelers will be looking for clear, transparent communication from the airline about what went wrong and what is being done to prevent a recurrence. Industry observers suggest that detailed public briefings after key milestones in the investigation, combined with visible commitments to maintenance investment and staff training, can help reassure a nervous flying public.

For now, the images of a SunExpress jet resting askew on the Antalya taxiway have joined a growing visual archive of modern air travel’s close calls. Behind those images lies an uncomfortable reality for passengers: even in an era of extraordinary overall safety, rare but dramatic mechanical failures can still occur. The task for investigators, regulators and the airline is to turn this unsettling episode into a source of learning that strengthens the invisible safety net beneath every future flight.