First Conclusions Available On the UIA Crash in Tehran

09 January 2020 15:34

Iranian aviation specialists claim that the Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, which crashed outside Tehran on January 8, began to burn up during flight shortly before the crash, and was attempting to return to the airport.

That’s according to an initial analysis released by the Iranian civil aviation organization looking into the possible causes of the crash.

Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s civil aviation organization, noted that the black box of the airplane – a piece of equipment containing both the flight data recorded and the cockpit voice recorder – was handed over to investigators, while the remaining pieces of the airplane have been gathered and transferred to safe storage. The black box suffered damage during the airplane’s crash and further fire.

Abedzadeh stated that the accident investigation group has been working in accordance with the international standards laid out in the Chicago Convention, and has offered all ratified governments the chance to send their own representatives to observe the investigative process. Several governments are in the process of sending these representatives as part of their Chicago Convention obligations.

According to Abedzadeh, the plane quickly ascended before dropping off radar. “The plane first rose to an altitude of 8,000 feet, after which its data disappeared from radar screens. The plane then quickly crashed into the ground and shattered. The pilots did not receive any radio messages about unusual events. In agreement with eyewitnesses, (people on the ground and crews of other planes that provided information on the incident), the plane burned up in the air, and after which, once it had crashed into the ground, it exploded,” explained Abedzadeh.

Abedzadeh adds that the plane’s probable trajectory shows that it was first flying west, but once the problem had occurred, it turned right, and at the moment of the accident, it was attempting to return to the airport.

Iran has sent notifications to Ukraine, as the home country of the airplane, the United States, as the manufacturers of the plane, as well as Sweden and Canada, as their citizens were passengers.

The bodies and remains of the victims have been sent to the relevant bodies for further investigation and formalities, such as identification and the return of the bodies to their families.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced January 9 as a day of mourning for the lives lost in the crash.

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