The crew of a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed in Iran did not make a radio call for help and were trying to turn back for the airport when the plane went down, according to an initial Iranian report released Thursday on the disaster that killed 176 people.
The report suggested a sudden emergency struck the Boeing 737 operated by Ukrainian International Airlines early Wednesday morning when it went down just moments after taking off from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. Meanwhile, investigators from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization offered no immediate explanation for the disaster.
Eyewitnesses, including the crew of another passing flight, described seeing the plane engulfed in flames before crashing, the report said. The crash caused a massive explosion when the plane hit the ground, likely because the aircraft had been fully loaded with fuel for the flight to Kyiv, Ukraine.
The report also confirmed that both of the so-called “black boxes” that contain data and cockpit communications from the plane had been recovered, though they had damaged and some parts of their memory was lost. It also said that investigators have initially ruled out laser or electromagnetic interference as causing the crash.
Iran’s aviation authority has said it will not hand over the black boxes to Boeing. The head of the authority, Ali Abedzadeh said: “We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer and the Americans. It’s not yet clear which country the black box will go to for the investigation.”
He added that Iran will be leading the investigations and Ukrainians could be present throughout. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, said crash investigators from his country had arrived in Iran to assist in the probe. He also said he planned to call Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about the crash and the investigation.
“Undoubtedly, the priority for Ukraine is to identify the causes of the plane crash,” Zelenskiy said. “We will surely find out the truth.” Canada is offering technical assistance to the upcoming investigation in Iran. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it has appointed an expert to monitor the progress of the investigation by Iran’s civilian aviation agency.
Aviation experts were sceptical about Iran’s initial claim that the plane was brought down by a mechanical problem. “Something unusual happened,” Garneau said. Zelenskiy and Canada’s Justin Trudeau have vowed to get answers for the crash. Zelenskiy cut short a visit to Oman. On Facebook, he posted: “Our priority is to find the truth and everyone responsible for the tragedy.”
Out of the 176 people who died in the crash, 82 were Iranian, 63 from Canada, 11 from Ukraine, 10 from Sweden, four from Afghanistan, three from Germany and three from the UK.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday 138 passengers on the flight were connecting to Canada. The flight included many international students who were studying at universities across Canada. Newlyweds and a Canadian family of four were also on the flight.
Trudeau said his government is pushing to be part of the Iranian-led investigation of the plane crash near Tehran that killed everyone on board. Getting answers from Iran might prove difficult as Canada closed its embassy in Iran in 2012 and suspended diplomatic relations.
