Official reactions to plane crash

Photo Ed: Turkish Airlines plane crashes in Amsterdam 

RECEP TAYYİP ERDOĞAN - Prime Minister

 "Our crisis desk together with the civil aviation authorities have been monitoring the investigation carried out at the scene. The process is being closely monitored. We hope that all the injured passengers survive this accident. Our wish is that we overcome this accident with minimum damage," he said.

BİNALİ YILDIRIM - Transportation Minister

Our hopes and wishes are that no one was killed in the accident, Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım said from the eastern province of Bingöl. He said the cause of the crash would be determined after the necessary investigations were completed, Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. "The crashed plane recently underwent maintenance work carried out by the civilian aviation authorities on Dec. 22, 2008," Yıldırım said.

ALİ BABACAN - Foreign Minister

Ali Babacan said all related authorities were concerned about the issue, including the Turkish transportation minister, Turkish Airlines, a group from the Turkish Embassy in Holland and the Turkish Consulate General in Rotterdam. Babacan told reporters he had no further information about the accident, speaking in Istanbul before attending a meeting of the Foreign Economic Relations Board, or DEİK. Authorities in Holland and Turkey are working in the area, he said.

DENİZ BAYKAL - Leader of the CHP

Deniz Baykal, leader of opposition party Republican and People’s Party, or CHP, expressed his condolences to all families who lost a relative in the accident and wished a speedy recovery for those who were injured. Baykal said the reason for the crash should be investigated carefully. "Turkish Airlines is an institution we are very proud of. If there is a problem with the maintenance of the plane, it should be investigated in detail and we should take lessons from the accident."

TEMEL KOTİL - General Manager of THY

THY general manager, Temel Kotil, said they were thankful to Dutch authorities and that their consulate solved the problem of visas for passengers’ families who did not have passports. "Dutch authorities managed the crisis in this kind of case; this is a rule in civil aviation. We transfer the information we receive from them to you. There is no further information in our hands. I wish condolences and a speedy recuperation to everyone," he said.

CANDAN KARLITEKİN - Chairman of THY

The reason for this statement is to express our sorrow and sympathy, said Candan Karlıtekin, the chairman of Turkish Airlines, or THY, in yesterday. "According to information we received, the plane landed short of the runway," Anatolia news agency quoted Karlıtekin. "The rear of the plane was damaged, but there was no problem regarding the front section," he said. The reason for the crash and how it happened cannot be answered as the accident is too recent, he said.

UĞUR CEBECİ - General Manager of Doğan News Agency

It seems that the plane’s right engine was on the ground, said the general manager of the Doğan News Agency and a columnist for Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Uğur Cebeci. He said some media reports claimed that the plane crashed due to a shortage of fuel but this was very unlikely. "The whether conditions seemed suitable for a normal landing. The wind speed was four knots, that is normal. Humidity was 60 percent and pressure was high," he said.

GÜNDÜZ AKÇAY - Retired Pilot

While the cause of the crash has yet to be established, a retired pilot Gündüz Akçay said the accident was caused by pilot error. "If the pilot had approached the runway on autopilot the accident would not have happened. Generally pilots do not trust the machine or some other operator but themselves so they do the final approach on their own," Akçay told private CNNTürk. "If the weather was stable; if there was no technical fault to the plane; then the last option must be pilot error," Akçay said.