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Ukrainian passenger jet carrying over 170 people crashes in Iran, killing all on board Ukrainian passenger jet carrying over 170 people crashes in Iran, killing all on board
(about 5 hours later)
MOSCOW — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying more than 170 people crashed in Iran early Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Tehran's main international airport, killing all aboard, officials said. MOSCOW — A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying more than 170 people from Tehran suddenly plummeted into a field early Wednesday without a mayday from the cockpit, killing all aboard and leaving investigators hoping that recovered flight data can offer clues on the cause.
In the aftermath of the crash, Ukraine has banned all flights from Iranian airspace, a move also taken by several other countries in light of the rising tensions between Iran and U.S. forces in the region. In the aftermath of the crash — whose passengers and crew included Iranians, Canadians and Europeans — Ukraine banned all flights from Iranian airspace. A similar move was already taken by several other countries amid rising tensions between Iran and U.S. forces in the region.
The Boeing 737-800 likely crashed due to technical difficulties, Iranian state media quoted Ali Kahshani, a senior public relations official at the airport, as saying. Ukraine’s embassy in Iran at first concurred, issuing a statement ruling out terrorism, but then took it down without explanation. Meanwhile, the probe into the crash was underway with Iran citing a possible aircraft malfunction and Ukraine apparently leaving open other paths of inquiry. At least one aviation expert said it appeared the plane was breaking up before it hit the ground.
A later statement from the embassy said a commission is investigating the crash and that “any statements about the causes of the accident before the decision of the commission are not official.” The Ukraine International Airlines flight, bound for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, went down just before dawn after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport, south of Tehran. The plane had reached about 8,000 feet when it abruptly lost contact with ground control, officials said.
The flight operated by Ukraine International Airlines was headed for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. About four hours earlier, Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq, targeting an Iraqi air base with U.S. personnel in response to an American airstrike last week that killed the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
“No one has survived the crash of the Ukrainian Airlines plane, and we are collecting the bodies,” Pirhossein Koulivand, Iran’s chief of emergency services, told state television. “All emergency and rescue forces are present at the scene.” American passenger airliners and others have avoided flying over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken for military aircraft. Iranian authorities said "technical" problems were likely behind the crash of the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800.
After the crash near Tehran, who will investigate?
Ukraine's Embassy in Tehran initially concurred, issuing a statement ruling out terrorism and suggesting likely engine failure. It later took down the statement without explanation, raising questions about whether different scenarios — including an "external" cause such as a missile — were being explored as potential reasons for the crash.
The Ukrainian Embassy said a commission was investigating the crash and that "any statements about the causes of the accident before the decision of the commission are not official."
A video circulated on Twitter that purported to be of the crash and showed the plane as a bright light, possibly on fire, against a dark sky descending to the ground, followed by a burst of flames.
John Cox, a former pilot and an airline safety consultant, said the plane’s flight profile was normal as it ascended and “then the data just stops.”
“That is something the investigators are going to look at,” he added.
The video on social media, purportedly showing the crash, appeared to show “a large amount of fire” that could be caused by “an uncontrolled engine failure,” Cox said.
Iran crash presents Boeing with new crisis
When investigators review flight recorder data, “it will be very clear if it was something external that caused it,” Cox said.
Todd Curtis, an aviation safety analyst for the website AirSafe.com and a former Boeing safety engineer who assisted in accident investigations, said it appeared — based only on video and photos from the crash site — that the plane was coming apart before it hit the ground.
“The wreckage pattern was very consistent with a plane that was not in tact when it hit the ground,” he said. “I didn’t see a large central crater.”
This means the crash could have been caused by an in-flight break up, in-flight explosion, midair collision, structural failure, an external strike or a major system malfunction with the aircraft, Curtis said.
The head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, Ali Abedzadeh, said that Iran would not send the recorders to the United States, and that the investigation would be led by Iran, Mehr news agency reported.
“It has not yet been decided where the [recorders] will go” for data extraction, Abedzadeh said.
He said that the pilots “did not contact the control tower” before the crash. “We were not informed of any technical problem from the flight crew.”
An eyewitness to the crash told the state-run Iran newspaper that he heard a deafening roar before looking out the window and seeing massive red flames. “It could have easily crashed into one of our houses,” he said, in a video the newspaper posted online.
Charred debris scattered across open fields and farm plots southwest of Tehran. Black bags were lined up near the search area. The Sharif University of Technology in Tehran said that 13 of its students and alumni perished in the crash, most of them mechanical engineers or science students.
The aircraft involved in Wednesday’s incident, a Boeing 737-800, was three years old and purchased from the manufacturer as new by Ukraine International Airlines, the carrier said in a statement. It had its last routine technical maintenance on Monday.
The jet reached an altitude of about 7,800 feet, the airline’s vice president for flight operations, Ihor Sosnovskyi, told a briefing, according to Interfax news agency.
The possibility of “a mistake made by the crew is minimal; we just don’t assume that,” he said. “Given their experience, it is very difficult to say that the crew may have done something wrong.”
Many of the passengers were Iranian. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry listed 176 victims, including 82 Iranians; 63 Canadians; 11 Ukrainians, including nine crew members; 10 Swedes; four Afghans; three Germans and three Britons. Iranian officials said more than 140 passengers were Iranians, suggesting that some may have had dual citizenship.Many of the passengers were Iranian. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry listed 176 victims, including 82 Iranians; 63 Canadians; 11 Ukrainians, including nine crew members; 10 Swedes; four Afghans; three Germans and three Britons. Iranian officials said more than 140 passengers were Iranians, suggesting that some may have had dual citizenship.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Facebook page that he is “personally involved in supervision over all measures to be taken.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Facebook page that he is “personally involved in supervision over all measures to be taken.” A Ukrainian plane with search and rescue teams as well as representatives of several national agencies planned to head to Iran to investigate the crash and identify the bodies of Ukraines killed.
“I implore you all to refrain from speculating and making uncorroborated theories in relation to the plane crash before any official statements are made,” Zelensky said, adding that planes would be dispatched to Tehran to collect the victims’ bodies. He was on vacation in Oman, but cut short his trip to return to Kyiv. “I implore you all to refrain from speculating and making uncorroborated theories in relation to the plane crash before any official statements are made,” Zelensky said, adding that planes would be dispatched to Tehran to collect the victims’ bodies. He was on vacation in Oman but cut short his trip to return to Kyiv.
In a briefing Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk also called for avoiding speculation about the cause of the crash and said Ukraine will insist on maximum transparency in the investigation.In a briefing Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk also called for avoiding speculation about the cause of the crash and said Ukraine will insist on maximum transparency in the investigation.
He also said that the government suspended all Ukrainian flights over Iranian airspace until “the reasons of the tragedy are determined.” He said that the government suspended all Ukrainian flights over Iranian airspace until “the reasons of the tragedy are determined.”
Boeing said on Twitter that it was “aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.” In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Our government will continue to work closely with its international partners to ensure that this crash is thoroughly investigated, and that Canadians’ questions are answered.”
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said that both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered, but that the latter was severely damaged.Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said that both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered, but that the latter was severely damaged.
“Although it is damaged, there is still a chance to retrieve the pilots’ conversations from it,” a spokesman for the organization, Hassan Rezaeifar, told state media.“Although it is damaged, there is still a chance to retrieve the pilots’ conversations from it,” a spokesman for the organization, Hassan Rezaeifar, told state media.
The head organization, Abed Zadeh, said Iran would not send the recorders to the United States — as some countries do for assistance in data collection — and that the investigation would be led by Iran, the Mehr News Agency reported. The Boeing 737-800 is a single-aisle aircraft designed for short and medium-range flights. Airlines around the world have flown them for more than two decades, with thousands of them in service.
“It has not yet been decided where the [recorders] will go” for data extraction, Zadeh said. But the plane has seen safety issues over the years. It was involved in a 2018 crash in Papua New Guinea that killed 47, a 2016 flight from Dubai that killed 62, and a 2010 Ethiopian Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed 90.
He said the pilots “did not contact the control tower” before the crash. “We were not informed of any technical problem from the flight crew.” Regulators have more recently scrutinized possible safety risks on the 737-800. In early October the Federal Aviation Administration told airlines to inspect more than 1,900 Boeing jets after cracks were found in some of the aircraft’s wings. Dozens of them were later grounded after cracks were found in a part of the plane that connects the wings to the fuselage.
The aircraft involved in Wednesday’s incident, a Boeing 737-800, was three years old and purchased from the manufacturer as new by Ukraine International Airlines, the carrier said in a statement. It had its last routine technical maintenance on Monday. The newer 737 Max was grounded worldwide last year after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on March 10, the second fatal crash of a 737 Max in less than five months. In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing all aboard.
The jet reached an altitude of about 7,800 feet, the airline’s vice president for flight operations, Ihor Sosnovskyi, told a briefing, according to Interfax news agency.
The possibility of “a mistake made by the crew is minimal; we just don’t assume that,” he said. “Given their experience, it is very difficult to say that the crew may have done something wrong.”
Although the Boeing 737-800 has not been flagged for issues, the newer 737 Max was grounded worldwide last year after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight on March 10, the second fatal crash of a 737 Max in less than five months. In October 2018, a Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing all aboard.
The grounding resulted in a crisis for Boeing that led to its firing of CEO Dennis Muilenburg two weeks ago.The grounding resulted in a crisis for Boeing that led to its firing of CEO Dennis Muilenburg two weeks ago.
“This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers and their families,” said a statement from Boeing. “We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed.” “This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers and their families,” a statement from Boeing said. “We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed.”
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Wednesday’s crash coincided with Iranian forces launching more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq where U.S. troops are stationed, in response to an American airstrike that killed the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force. American passenger airliners have been banned from flying over Iran because of the risk that they could be mistaken for military aircraft. Major international airlines — including the flagship carriers of France, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands — also either halted flights to Iraq and Iran or restricted aircraft from flying through both countries’ airspace. Germany’s Lufthansa said it would resume Tehran flights Thursday.
Major international airlines — including the flagship carriers of France, Germany and the Netherlands — also either halted flights to Iraq and Iran or restricted aircraft from flying through both countries’ airspace.
Other commercial airlines also rerouted flights, including Australian carrier Qantas, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, the Associated Press reported.Other commercial airlines also rerouted flights, including Australian carrier Qantas, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, the Associated Press reported.
A video circulating on Twitter that purported to be of the crash showed a distant light against a dark sky descending to the ground, followed by a burst of flames. Another video tweeted by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency showed parts of a plane scattered and on fire on the ground. On Wednesday, Canada updated its travel advisory for Iran, warning against any nonessential travel to the country “due to the volatile security situation, the regional threat of terrorism and the risk of arbitrary detention.” Ukraine International Airlines lists its Tehran-to-Toronto service as one of its most popular routes.
Images published by state media showed charred debris scattered across open fields and farm plots near the city of Parand, southwest of Tehran. Another showed remains wrapped in black bags lined up near the search area. The Sharif University of Technology in Tehran said that 13 of its students and alumni perished in the crash, most of them mechanical engineers or science students. Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Dadouch reported from Beirut. Paul Schemm in Dubai, Amanda Coletta in Toronto and Aaron Gregg, Douglas MacMillan and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Airlines from the former Soviet Union have a checkered safety record. A passenger jet of the small Kazakh airline, Bek Air, with 98 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff near Almaty airport in Kazakhstan on Dec. 27, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. A plane operated by Russia’s Aeroflot made a fiery emergency landing in Moscow in May, resulting in 41 deaths, and in 2018, a Saratov Airlines plane crashed just outside Moscow, killing all 71 people on board.
Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Dadouch reported from Beirut. Paul Schemm in Dubai and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
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