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2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash

Aviation accident in Kerman, Iran

Field	Value
name	2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
occurrence_type	Accident
image	YI-ANI (Iraqi Airways).jpg
caption	The aircraft involved in the accident, when still in service with Iraqi Airways
date
summary	Controlled flight into terrain during descent in bad weather
site	35 km SE of Kerman Airport, Kerman, Iran
coordinates
aircraft_type	Ilyushin Il-76MD
operator	Aerospace Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution
tail_number
origin	Zahedan Airport, Zahedan, Iran
destination	Kerman Airport, Kerman, Iran
occupants	275
passengers	257
crew	18
fatalities	275
survivors	0

On 19 February 2003, an Ilyushin Il-76 crashed in mountainous terrain near Kerman in Iran. The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aircraft, registration , was flying from Zahedan to Kerman when it crashed 35 km southeast of Kerman. The aircraft was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a special force that is independent from the Iranian Army, on an unknown mission.

Strong winds were reported in the region of the crash when the aircraft disappeared from radar; around the same time, villagers in the area described hearing a loud explosion. There were no survivors among the 275 occupants on board the aircraft. , the crash remains the second deadliest on Iranian soil (behind Iran Air Flight 655) and the deadliest crash of an Il-76.

Accident

The Il-76 was flying a route from Zahedan Airport to Kerman Airport carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on an unspecified mission. The four-engine Russian transport aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at 5:30 pm after flying into poor weather conditions.

The aircraft crashed into the Sirch mountains, southeast of Kerman, about 500 mi southeast of Tehran, killing all aboard.

Recovery and aftermath

Immediately after the crash, members of the Revolutionary Guards and Red Crescent were sent to the accident scene. Two helicopters attempting to reach the scene turned back due to bad weather. A cordon of the area was completed as well, limiting access to journalists and the public.

President Mohammad Khatami's cabinet sent a message of condolence to families of the victims about the "tragic event in which a group of IRGC brothers"—Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps—were killed. The Iranian government also blamed U.S. sanctions against Iran for playing a part in the crash since the restrictions make it more difficult for Iran to maintain its aircraft.

Investigators believe it was a controlled flight into terrain, citing the deteriorating weather conditions and high winds. There was speculation that the accident was the result of a mid-air collision due to the high number of fatalities (the Il-76 normally carries fewer than 200 passengers). A terrorist organization called the Abu-Bakr Brigades also claimed responsibility for the crash.

References

(20 February 2013). "Iran plane crash kills 302". BBC News.
(5 November 2018). "Deadliest plane crashes in Iran since 2003". [[Gulf News]].
"15-2280".
Fathi, Nazila. (21 February 2003). "Storm Hinders Iranian Crews Sent to Search Site of Crash". The New York Times.
Chan, Sue. (19 February 2003). "302 Dead in Iranian Plane Crash". [[CBS News]].
(20 February 2003). "No survivors in Iran plane crash". BBC News.
Fathi, Nazila. (20 February 2003). "302 Killed in Crash of Iranian Military Plane".
(6 December 2005). "Iran air safety hit by sanctions". BBC News.
(24 February 2003). "RFE/RL Iran Report". globalsecurity.org.
(20 February 2003). "Fog halts Iran air crash search". CNN.
(19 February 2003). "Iranian plane crash kills 302". CNN.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

2000s-disasters-in-iran 2003-disasters-in-asia aviation-accidents-and-incidents-in-iran aviation-accidents-and-incidents-in-2003 accidents-and-incidents-involving-the-ilyushin-il-76 2003-in-iran accidental-deaths-in-iran history-of-kerman-province february-2003-in-iran aviation-accidents-and-incidents-involving-controlled-flight-into-terrain

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