Iran has cited engine failure for the crash of a plane
that killed 30 members of the elite Revolutionay Guards including senior military officials. It was the third military air crash in a year.
Authorities said one of the engines of the An-74 air transport failed
after take-off from Teheran on Monday. The plane, operated by the Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps, crashed seconds later and at least 39 people
were killed.
"An engine failure and veering from the runway resulted in the crash,"
Iranian police commander Eskandar Moemeni said.
Officials said all aboard the plane were killed. They said 30 IRGC
members, including senior officers, were included in the casualties. The
IRGC personnel were bound for an unidentified military operation in Shiraz.
IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Yahya Safavi said the An-74 lost control on
take-off. At that point, the wing of the aircraft crashed into the runway of
Mehrabad International airport.
This was the third military air crash in a year, two of which involved major loss of life.
In December
2005, 108 people were killed when an Iranian Air Force U.S.-origin C-130 air
transport crashed into a 10-story building near Tehran's Mehrabad airport, killing 115 people.
In January, a military Falcon, a small passenger jet, crashed in northwestern Iran, killing the commander of the ground forces of the Revolutionary Guards.
On Nov. 18, six Iranian soldiers were killed
in a helicopter crash.
Iran has a history of aircraft accidents involving a heavy loss of life. The government has blamed a U.S. trade embargo, which makes it impossible for Iran to buy parts for its old U.S.-built aircraft. But critics have also said planes are poorly maintained.
"It is too soon to elaborate on the cause of the crash until the
investigations are over," Safavi said.
Hours later, Gen. Mohammed Kowsari, security director at Iran's Joint
Chief of Staff, reiterated that the An-74 was downed by engine failure.
Kowsari said the aircraft's wing struck the runway.
"According to initial information and the technical survey conducted by
IRGC Air Force experts," Kowsari said, "minutes after the take-off of the
crashed plane, one of its engines was shut down, which led to the aircraft's
loss of balance and its wing striking the runway, resulting in an explosion.
The issue has not been tackled by flight technicians yet and a team is now
busy doing that."