Turkish Airlines 787 Returns to New York Due to Landing Gear Issue
A Turkish Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered as TC-LLK and operating under flight number TK112, had to return to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) after departing for Istanbul Airport (IST) on September 11, 2025. The aircraft experienced a landing gear problem shortly after takeoff.
Landing Gear Malfunction
After takeoff, the flight crew reported the issue to New York ATC, initially holding at 7,000 feet while communicating with Turkish Airlines’ operations center to assess the situation. Unable to retract the landing gear, the pilots were eventually instructed to dump fuel, a common procedure to ensure the aircraft’s weight is within safe landing limits.
The Boeing 787, carrying 240 people, including the crew, performed a fuel dump in a designated holding pattern near JFK before making a successful ILS approach and landing on Runway 31L. While emergency services were on standby during the landing, the crew confirmed no assistance was necessary once safely on the ground.
Flight Path and Communication Details
ATC recordings detail the communication and coordination between the flight crew of TK112 and New York controllers. After troubleshooting, the pilots confirmed the need to dump fuel and requested a return to JFK. The aircraft completed the fuel dumping and then proceeded to intercept the localizer for Runway 31L, landing safely.
| Timestamp | Communication |
|---|---|
| 22 | Pilot (Turkish 4 Mike Lima): Good morning, climbing 5,000. |
| 35 | ATC: Climb and maintain 10,000. |
Following the incident, the aircraft remained grounded at JFK for two days, departing back to Istanbul on September 13, 2025.
Previous Similar Incident
In a related incident on December 25, 2024, Turkish Airlines flight TK203 from Istanbul to Seattle returned to its originating airport after encountering technical issues mid-flight. The Airbus A350 in question diverted as a precautionary measure without declaring an emergency and safely returned to Istanbul.
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