Pilot involved in the deadly Istanbul crash this month was just arrested

Last month, a Pegasus flight from Sharjah, UAE skidded off the runway in Istanbul, prompting the city's second airport to shut down temporarily. Just weeks later, another Pegasus flight suffered the same fate, except the crash ended up in a broken plane, three deaths, and 179 injuries. 

The pilot of the latter plane - which crashed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport on Feb. 5 - has been arrested on charges of "involuntary manslaughter and causing injury," it was reported this week. 

The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 ran off the runway at the Istanbul airport while landing in bad weather. An investigation into the deadly crash was launched following the incident. The pilot was interrogated once discharged from a hospital where he had been receiving treatment. A court order then led to the pilot's - who has been identified as M.A. only - arrest pending trial. 

Prosecutors have gathered statements from air traffic control staff, airport employees, and the pilots of two other aircraft who aborted landings just before Pegasus' ill-fated touchdown. 

The carrier suffered a similar fate at the same airport on Jan. 7, when a Pegasus passenger plane, a Boeing 737-800, arrived in Istanbul. In photos that circulated online, the plane was seen drifting off the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries were reported in the aftermath of the incident. The airport was temporarily shut down as a result, though.

In January 2018, another Pegasus flight skidded off the runway at Trabzon airport in the country's north-east, ending up halfway down a steep slope into the Black Sea. According to ABC News, the plane "came to a halt on a cliffside just meters above the water." Luckily, all 162 passengers, the two pilots, and four cabin crew came out unscathed. 

Harsh weather conditions, particularly in the UK, have affected the aviation industry in the past two months. 

Two Arab airliners - Middle East Airlines and Etihad Airways - earned a reputation boost after both their pilots fought strong winds to land unharmed in the UK. It hasn't been smooth sailing (or flying in this case) for many airliners, who have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to the weather.  

In the case of Pegasus, the weather conditions led to three deaths and hundreds of injuries ... and now an arrest has been made to hold the pilot accountable.