The Birth of a Legend
In 1996, Turkish Airlines introduced an Airbus A340-300 named TC-JDM, which would go on to earn the infamous nickname “Deli Mike.” The aircraft, originally designed for long-haul flights, quickly became known for its bizarre technical failures and odd behavior, leading to its nickname, which plays on the ICAO spelling alphabet—D for “Delta” and M for “Mike,” transforming into “Deli” (meaning “crazy” in Turkish).
Strange Technical Failures
Deli Mike’s technical issues became legendary. The aircraft often displayed erratic behavior, such as lights turning on and off by themselves or emergency exit lights lighting up in a “Mexican wave” pattern. At one point, its flight instruments were so unreliable that a senior employee allegedly fixed them simply by patting the plane’s door and saying, “What happened to you, big man?”
Continued Use Despite Problems
Despite these ongoing issues, Deli Mike continued flying. Even as the aircraft was reconfigured for pilgrimages to Hajj, it remained a problematic plane, suffering from issues like landing gear malfunctions and unpredictable behavior. In 2019, after years of service, it was retired from the Turkish Airlines fleet.
A New Chapter
After a brief stint in Johannesburg, Deli Mike was re-registered and sold to a Mahan Air subsidiary, where it resumed operations under the name EP-MJC in 2024.
