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Author Topic: Ukrainian airliner crashes after take-off in Iran, killing all 176 aboard  (Read 3121 times)

Offline KB4TEZ

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-airliner-crashes-after-take-off-in-iran-killing-all-176-aboard/ar-BBYITLH?li=BBnbfcL

DUBAI/KIEV, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian airliner burst into flames shortly after take-off from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 176 people aboard in a crash that an initial report blamed on engine failure.
Debris and smoldering engine parts were strewn across a field around 10 km (six miles) from Imam Khomeini airport as rescue workers with face masks retrieved bodies of the victims.

Ukraine's embassy in Iran, citing preliminary information, said the Boeing 737 suffered engine failure and the crash was not caused by "terrorism."

Carrier Ukraine International Airlines said it was doing everything possible to confirm the cause, and the investigation would also involve Boeing and Ukrainian and Iranian authorities. It was the Kiev-based airline's first fatal accident.Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said all on board had died. "My sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of all passengers and crew," he said in a statement.
"The fire is so heavy that we cannot do any rescue ... we have 22 ambulances, four bus ambulances and a helicopter at the site," Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency services, told Iranian state television.

Ukraine's prime minister and Iranian state TV said 167 passengers and nine crew were on board. Iranian TV said 32 of those on board were foreigners.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the victims included 82 from Iran, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, three Germans and three Britons. Most passengers were in transit, the airline said.

Iranian media quoted a local aviation official as saying the pilot did not declare an emergency.

Iranian TV said the crash was due to unspecified technical problems. State broadcaster IRIB said on its website that one of the plane's two black boxes - the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder - had been found.

GOOD SAFETY RECORD

The plane that crashed was a three-year-old Boeing 737-800NG en route to Kiev, air tracking service FlightRadar24 said.

"The last scheduled maintenance of the aircraft took place on 06 January, 2020," the airline said.

A spokesman for the manufacturer said it was gathering more information.

The 737-800 is one of the world’s most-flown models with a good safety record and does not have the software feature implicated in crashes of the 737 MAX. Boeing grounded its 737 MAX fleet in March after two crashes that killed 346 people.

The 737-800's twin engines are made by CFM International, a U.S.-French venture co-owned by General Electric and France’s Safran.

Modern aircraft are designed and certified to cope with an engine failure shortly after take-off and to fly for extended periods on one engine. However, an uncontained engine failure releasing shrapnel can cause damage to other aircraft systems.

Under international rules overseen by the United Nations, Iran is responsible for leading the crash investigation.

Ukraine would be involved and the United States would usually be accredited as the country where the jet was designed and built. France, where the engine maker CFM has half its activities, may also be involved.

With relations between Washington and Tehran mired in crisis , there was no immediate word on whether the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board would be involved in the investigation.

The NTSB usually invites Boeing to give technical advice in such investigations.



Offline joeyb747

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More info, video, and photos here:

http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1aea51&opt=0


Offline joeyb747

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"On Jan 14th 2020 another video of a surveillance camera surfaced, that shows both missile launches and hits - the date and time of the camera had not been adjusted and therefore shows a wrong date and time. The camera is located on the roof of a house in Bidkaneh about 6nm north of the last transponder position of the aircraft and about 10nm northwest of the final position of the aircraft. It is likely that these noises of the first missile launch and hit prompted the local resident mentioned on Jan 9th 2020 to start filming the moment the second missile hit. The second missile is thus visible in both videos. The second explosion in the air occurs about 24 seconds after the first, according to latest analysis the transponder signal ceased on the first missile impact."

From the updated AvHerald article, vids are in the article:

http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1aea51&opt=0

Offline joeyb747

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"On Jan 20th 2020 Iran's AIB released an updated preliminary report in Persian only reporting that following departure from Imam Khomeini Airport at 06:12L the aircraft was handed off to Tehran Mehrabad Radar who cleared the flight to climb to FL260. After climbing through 6000 feet Mehrabad radar instructed the flight to turn right straight to a waypoint (not decipherable, translates to Mehrabad but does not make any sense). At 06:18L the controller observed the tag had disappeared from his radar screen and called the aircraft without received a response. Radar data show the last altitude recorded was 8100 feet MSL.

Radar data further revealed that the last secondary radar signal (Mode-S) was received at about 06:15L, based on observations by Mehrabad Airport's primary radar the aircraft turned right probably in an attempt to return to the airport. At 06:18L the primary signal disappeared, too. The aircraft was completely destroyed, 167 passengers and 9 crew lost their lives.

The flight crew consisted of three pilots: a training instructor (42, ATPL, 12,000 hours total, 6,600 hours on type), a captain (50, ATPL, 11,600 hours total, 5,469 hours on type) and a first officer (48, ATPL, 7,600 hours total, 3,642 hours on type).

The aircraft departed with a takeoff mass of 72,468kg accordig to load sheet (maximum takeoff mass 72,500kg).

Eyewitnesses reported the aircraft was on fire in flight, a large explosion occurred when the aircraft collided with ground. Examination of aircraft debris suggests that there had been no fire inside the cabin of the aircraft. Samples were sent to capable laboratories to determine whether explosives inside or outside the aircraft have been involved, other sources like laser, radioactive or radiomagnetic causes have been ruled out.

There are no facilities to read the flight data and cockpit voice recorders in Iran. The units were assessed by Ukrainian delegates to the investigation. So far it has not been positively determined whether the NTSB or BEA is going to read out the devices.

The AIB has been informed that two TOR-M1 missiles have been fired onto the aircraft as result of missile defense operations while the aircraft was in flight. The investigation is continuing."


From the updated AvHerald article:

http://avherald.com/h?article=4d1aea51&opt=0