Engine speed surge reportedly caused Turkish plane to skid off runway

ANKARA, Turkey -- A Turkish media report says the pilots of a plane that skidded off the runway and down a slope toward the sea have told investigators that the plane's right engine experienced a sudden surge of speed that forced it to swerve to the left. The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800, with 168 people on board, went off the runway at Trabzon Airport, northern Turkey, late on Saturday, stopping at an acute angle only a few meters away from the Black Sea.

All passengers and crew were evacuated and no one was injured. The airline said in a statement that all those on board disembarked safely. 

The private Dogan news agency said Monday the pilots told investigators that the plane landed normally but that the engine's sudden increase in speed caused them to lose control.

Authorities at Trabzon Airport on Monday were making preparations to tow the plane off the slope.