Pilots preparing to land at Sabiha Gökçen Airport received an unexplained traffic alert via the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). This incident, which was promptly reported to air traffic controllers, triggered a wide-ranging investigation. However, despite extensive searches by land, sea, and air, the source of the alert could not be identified.
Two Days of Searching, No Result
Following indications that the TCAS alert could be linked to a vessel or drone, the Coastal Safety Authority and other security teams intensified their search efforts in the region. Nevertheless, after two days of investigation, no concrete evidence was uncovered.
Radio transmissions from the incident were closely monitored by the aviation community, but the source of the alert remains unresolved. Dialogue between the pilots and air traffic controllers during the event was recorded.
Radio Transmissions at the Time of the Incident
Pilot: “We received a traffic alert at 300 feet during the final approach. The alert might be due to a drone or another aircraft. For your information.”
Tower: “Understood, sir. All aircraft have been receiving this alert since the morning. The issue has been reported to the authorities, and searches at sea are underway, but no results yet.”
Tower: “We’ve been dealing with this for about 2.5 hours now. The aircraft before you also received a traffic alert in the same area, approximately 2.5 miles away. We suspect it might originate from a vessel over the sea. Could you monitor and report on the situation?”
Pilot: “We can see descending traffic 500 feet below us. It appears to be unidentified traffic. It’s currently 5 miles from our position. We encountered the same alert during our previous flight.”
Source of the Traffic Alert Still Unknown
This incident has raised questions regarding aviation safety, as the source of the alert remains unidentified. Some experts suggest that such TCAS warnings could be triggered by moving objects over the sea or unidentified aerial phenomena.
Relevant authorities and aviation organisations continue to investigate the causes of such alerts in greater detail and work on enhancing safety measures.
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