Grove GMK6300L-1 comes to the rescue following incident at Istanbul Airport

• A Grove GMK6300L-1 was rapidly deployed to assist with an aircraft salvage operation after a plane landed without its front landing gear at Istanbul Airport.

Turkish crane rental company ÖZ TUNCEL and its Grove GMK6300L-1 all-terrain crane were called in for a rescue operation at Istanbul Airport. A FedEx Express Boeing 767 cargo plane touched down at the airport without its front landing gear, bumping its nose on the runway and sending sparks flying in a dramatic incident that attracted worldwide attention. Thankfully, with guidance from the control tower and great skill from the pilots, no one was injured and the crew all safely evacuated. To support the rescue of the downed aircraft, the GMK6300L-1 was on site for eight hours, carefully lifting the 15.4 t nose of the airplane, while needing to ensure strict control of the load so no other parts of the plane were damaged or moved during removal.

“We needed a crane that we could rely on, and Grove’s GMK6300L-1 was the perfect choice. The strength and control of the crane were exceptional, allowing us to execute this difficult operation with no problems. The salvage was a success, and normal services were swiftly resumed at the airport, thanks, in part, to the reliability and precision of the GMK6300L-1. We couldn't be more satisfied with the performance of the crane on this project,” said Ali Doğan Tuncel, owner of ÖZ TUNCEL.

The 300 t capacity Grove GMK6300L-1 offers exceptional strength and can lift 14 t at the full length of its 80 m MEGAFORM® main boom. Its six-axle design ensures stability and performance even in the toughest conditions, while the advanced Crane Control System (CCS) enables precision lifting. ÖZ TUNCEL was formed in 2000 and offers crane rental, heavy transport, and construction services across Turkey.