Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Tunisia faced severe turbulence and three failed landing attempts at Tunis-Carthage International Airport on September 10, 2026. Passenger Marina Maiskaya shared video showing cabin panic as the aircraft plummeted before diverting safely to Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport.
Severe Turbulence Strikes Descent Into Tunis
A routine Mediterranean journey turned into a terrifying ordeal for passengers aboard flight TK 661 from Istanbul on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. While approaching Tunis-Carthage International Airport last week during the day, the flight encountered severe weather and heavy storms that abruptly ended an otherwise smooth trip, according to passenger Marina Maiskaya, who was travelling with her mother on the flight from Istanbul to Tunisia.
The flight itself was smooth, but things turned absolutely terrifying as soon as we began our descent. I have never in my life feared for my life like that—and my mom was with me, too, Maiskaya wrote [translated via machine] on Instagram, capturing the harrowing moments as the aircraft prepared for landing. Storyful contributed to this report, which was reported from Los Angeles.
Weather conditions forced the flight crew to make multiple attempts to touch down at the capital’s primary airport. Passengers watched flight radar data on the screen in front of them, indicating the plane circling in a spot ahead of an attempted landing while aircraft struggled to land amid poor weather.
“The pilot tried to land the plane at the same airport three times, flying right through a storm! We were shaken violently each time, and on the third attempt, we actually started to plummet…”
Inside the cabin, tension escalated sharply during the third descent. Social media footage shared by travelers documented passengers gripping their seats as the aircraft shook, with screams erupting throughout the cabin while the plane circles ahead of an attempted landing. Passengers throughout the cabin can be heard screaming in the clip, with one person repeating, We will die, we will die, we will die! Maiskaya turns the phone camera towards the screen in front of her, showing what appears to be the flight radar data, and noted she was not entirely sure, but at one point it seemed like the pilot was about to try landing there a fourth time, going through the storm all over again.
Following the harrowing descent and aborted attempts, flight operations shifted away from the capital. The aircraft diverted to another airport after three landing attempts at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, ultimately diverting to nearby Enfidha-Hammamet International Airport, about 60 miles south of Tunis, because of the adverse weather conditions.
Photo: NDTV
Despite the frightening turbulence and aborted landing attempts, the aircraft landed safely at the alternate airport. We made it through safely—perhaps thanks to the Turkish Airlines pilots, @mmaiskaya wrote.
