According to this Norwegian newspaper they landed on the grass next to the runway as the gear would not come down:
Piloten landet på gresset ved siden av rullebanen - uten landingshjulene ute.
- Det elektriske systemet virket ikke og gjorde at landingshjulene ikke kom ut. Pilotene valgte da å nødlande på gresset like ved rullebanen, sier den polske konsulen i Istanbul, Marcin Wilczek, til nyhetsbyrået PAP, ifølge VG.
Brannen oppsto som følge av at flyet traff baken med buken først.
According to the blurb they had elecrtical failure and that prevented the landing gear from coming down. (Or locking)
Never flown a MD-80 or DC-9, but would think gear operatation is hydraulic and alternate extension electric...?
So with electric failure, no alternate extension, but they must have lost the hydraulics in the first place to need alternate extension..?
(This is not speculation, but rather a question to the MD-80 drivers out there)
At any rate, good thing nobody got killed or severly injured...
