Posted on 07/24/2009 10:52:56 AM PDT by Steelfish
Iran plane crash kills at least 17
The Russian-made airliner, with about 160 passengers, slides off a runway and into a wall during an emergency landing, officials say.
Borzou Daragahi July 24, 2009
Reporting from Beirut -- A Russian-made airliner skidded off a runway and hit a wall at an airport in eastern Iran today, killing at least 17 people, Iranian state television and official news agencies reported.
It was the nation's second fatal air accident in 10 days.
Aria Airlines Flight 1525 from Tehran slid off the runway at Iran's second-largest city, Mashhad, during an emergency landing, state media reported.
Officials said the jet was an Ilyushin Il-62M. A photograph of the crash site showed the front end of the plane sheered off by the impact of the crash. Ali Ikhani, the new chief of the Civil Aviation Organization, told state television that the plane struck a wall.
The official Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA, said at least 17 passengers or crew members were killed and 20 injured. About 160 passengers were aboard in addition to the crew, state television reported.
Firefighters had extinguished a blaze that broke out after the plane touched down about 6 p.m. local time, deputy provincial Gov. Ghahraman Rashid told IRNA.
The director of public relations at Mashhad's state television said the plane had experienced "technical glitches."
On July 15, Iran's Caspian Airways Flight 7908 crashed 16 minutes after taking off from Tehran en route to the Armenian capital of Yerevan, killing all 168 passengers and crew members.
Experts say Iran's civil aviation industry, which remains under sanctions that prevent it from buying new Western aircraft made by Boeing and Airbus, is dilapidated. Western countries have offered to lift the sanctions if Iran curtails its nuclear enrichment program, a proposal Tehran has dismissed.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Another one?
Russian airplanes aren’t doing very well in Iran lately
Yeah, I always thought “Aeroflot” sounded like something their planes did.......and it didn’t sound good.
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