RTA passenger plane has crashed in the vicinity of the Iranian capital’s Mehrabad airport, with 48 people on board. Reports indicate 39-45 dead, six of them children.
The Iran-140 Sepahan Air jetliner had barely left the airport, crashing shortly after take off on the outskirts of the capital at 09:45 (0515 GMT) on Sunday, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
Info of crashed jet in #Tehran:
flight number: 5915
departure: Tehran
destination: Tabas.
Time: 9:15 am
Airplane: Iran 140, Sepahan Air— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) August 10, 2014
Iran’s police chief put the death toll at 45, with three survivors, but later reports fluctuated around 39 dead and a further nine injured. The Deputy Minister for Transport told the Mehr News Agency that this included six children, of whom three were under two and another three under 12 years of age. There is no unified consensus yet at this point.
The plane reportedly belonged to the defense ministry at the time Sepahan Air was using it, according to the General Director of World & FP at the Tasnim News Agency, Abas Aslani.
The Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported that five had been taken to hospital, adding that one of the doctors said they later succumbed to their injuries and died.
48 ppl were flying w crashed jet:
– 34 adults
– 3 infants under 2
– 3 under 12
– 2 pilots
– 2 Stewardess
– 2 tech. group
– 2 flight security— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) August 10, 2014
Primary reports indicate 40 to 48 people killed in #Iran-ian passenger #plane #crash, including 7 or 8 #children. pic.twitter.com/6TJNmXUAn4
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) August 10, 2014
Reports emerged that a technical glitch occurred shortly before the crash. An onboard computer issued an error command that resulted in one of the engines turning off abruptly, Aslani wrote on Twitter.
According to Tehran’s Crisis Management Bureau, five people somehow managed to jump out of the aircraft as it was crashing.
The site of the crash is reportedly only 500 meters away from a local market, Aslani says. If it hadn’t missed the densely populated area, the death toll could have been much higher.
#Iran's state TV reports 48 dead, 3 injured taken to hospital. Official: #Plane crashed into a wall at the end of runway. #Tehran
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) August 10, 2014
New #PICTURE from #plane #crash in #Tehran, #Iran capital city – ISNA pic.twitter.com/W30DzrawHv
— Abas Aslani (@AbasAslani) August 10, 2014
What is happening with all these crashes?! :/ RT “@SadraMohaqeq: plane crashed in Tehran. All 50 passengers died. pic.twitter.com/l3RUmUE5nU”
— Fifi Haroon (@fifiharoon) August 10, 2014
The plane was bound for Tabas in eastern Iran when it crashed just 5km west of the capital.
The name of the airline operating the plane was not immediately released; one report attributed the aircraft to Taban Airlines, while an earlier report claimed it belonged to Sepahan Airlines.
According to eyewitness accounts, the plane appeared to lose control before taking off, and only managed a few seconds in the air before crashing to the ground.
The Revolutionary Guard could be seen working at the site as security officers worked frantically to pull survivors out and comb the wreckage. According to State TV reports, some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and will therefore require DNA testing before they can be returned to their relatives.
The plane’s entire tail section was mangled and torn from the fuselage, resting nearby.
Mehrabad is Tehran’s main domestic hub. Although it operates a small number of international flights, its domestic load alone makes it the busiest airport in the country. Most international destinations are taken care of by the Tehran Imam Khomeni International Airport, located a little further to the west of the capital.
The incident is the latest in a series of Iranian airplane catastrophes – the majority of them put down to outdated equipment and poor maintenance.
Some politicians have blamed Iran’s record of commercial flying disasters on international sanctions, and measures that have restricted the Islamic state from purchasing new aircraft. Whatever new parts the fleet could get its hands on were either bought on the black market or pulled straight from other planes. Some parts are reproduced locally, according to sources in Iran’s aviation, Reuters reports.
“The incident is the latest in a series of Iranian airplane catastrophes – the majority of them put down to outdated equipment and poor maintenance.”
Outdated is one thing, but there’s no excuse for poor maintenance. It should be top priority.