2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
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On 19 February 2003, an
Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a com ...
crashed in mountainous terrain near
Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in 221,389 households, ma ...
in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The
Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air and Space Force (IRGCASF; fa, نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, niru-ye havâfazây-e sepâh-e pâsdârâ ...
aircraft,
registration Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...
15–2280, was flying from
Zahedan Zahedan ( Balochi and fa, , ' ) is a city and capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 587,730. The city was the site of a deadly crackdown in October 2022, with dozens citizens killed by pro- ...
to Kerman when it crashed southeast of Kerman. The aircraft was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a special force that is independent from the
Iranian Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces ( fa, نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, ''Niroo-ye Zamini-ye Artesh-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran''), acronymed NEZAJA ( fa, نزاجا, NEZEJA) are the ground forc ...
, on an unknown mission. Strong winds were reported in the region of the crash when the aircraft disappeared from the radar screens; approximately at the same time, villagers in the area described hearing a loud explosion. There were no survivors among the 275 occupants on board the aircraft. the crash remains the second deadliest on Iranian soil (behind
Iran Air Flight 655 Iran Air Flight 655 was a scheduled passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai via Bandar Abbas that was shot down on 3July 1988 by two SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired by the , a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy. The aircraft, ...
) and the deadliest crash of an Il-76.


Accident

The Il-76 was flying a route from
Zahedan Airport Zahedan Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین المللی زاهدان, Balochi: زاہدان بالی پَٹ) is an international airport located in 6 kilometers northeast of the city of Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, in south of Iran ...
to
Kerman Airport Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین‌المللی آیت‌الله هاشمی رفسنجانی) is an airport in Kerman, Iran. The airport is used for commercial, general aviation and military training purposes. F ...
carrying members of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
on an unspecified mission. The four-engine Russian transport aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at 5:30 pm after flying into poor weather conditions. The aircraft crashed into the Sirch mountains, southeast of
Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in 221,389 households, ma ...
, about southeast of
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, killing all aboard.


Recovery and aftermath

Immediately after the crash, members of the Revolutionary Guards and
Red Crescent The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
were sent to the accident scene. Two helicopters attempting to reach the scene turned back due to bad weather. A cordon of the area was completed as well, limiting access to journalists and the public. President
Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 ...
's cabinet sent a message of condolence to families of the victims about the "tragic event in which a group of IRGC brothers"—Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps—were killed. The Iranian government also blamed U.S.
sanctions against Iran There have been a number of sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia following its inva ...
for playing a part in the crash since the restrictions make it more difficult for Iran to maintain its aircraft. Investigators believe it was a
controlled flight into terrain In aviation, a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT; usually ) is an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, a body of water or an obstacle. In a typical CFIT scenario, ...
, citing the deteriorating weather conditions and high winds. There was speculation that the accident was the result of a mid-air collision due to the high number of fatalities (the Il-76 normally carries fewer than 200 passengers). A terrorist organization called the
Abu-Bakr Brigades Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...
also claimed responsibility for the crash. 


See also

*
2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash On 6 December 2005 (Azar 15, 1384) at 14:10 local time (10:40 UTC), a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, tail number ''5-8519'', c/n 4399, crashed into a ten-storey apartment buildin ...
*
2018 Algerian Air Force Il-76 crash On 11 April 2018, an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft of the Algerian Air Force crashed shortly after take-off from Boufarik Airport, Boufarik, Algeria, which is near Blida and south-west of the capital, Algiers. All 257 people on boa ...
*
Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision On 12 November 1996, Saudia Flight 763, a Boeing 747 en route from Delhi, India, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76 en route from Chimkent, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, collided over the village of Charkh ...
, involving an Il-76 and a Boeing 747; and with a higher loss of life


Notes and references


Notes


References


External links

*  {{DEFAULTSORT:Iran Ilyushin Il-76 Crash, 2003 2003 disasters in Iran Aviation accidents and incidents in Iran Aviation accidents and incidents in 2003 Accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-76 2003 in Iran Accidental deaths in Iran History of Kerman Province February 2003 events in Asia Aviation accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain