2009 Iranian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 accident

Last updated
2009 Iranian Air Force Il-76MD Adnan 2 accident
Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2 (aka Simorgh).jpg
An Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2 similar to the one involved in the crash.
Accident
Date22 September 2009
SummaryDisputed
Site15 km northwest of Varamin, Iran
35°25′45″N51°32′32″E / 35.42913°N 51.54217°E / 35.42913; 51.54217
Total fatalities7
First aircraft
Type Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2
Name Simorgh
Operator Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Registration 5-8208 [1]
Crew7
Fatalities7
Survivors0
Second aircraft
EP-IBC 21072016LHR (28452053142).jpg
Type Airbus A300-600
Operator Iran Air
RegistrationEP-IBC
Flight origin Kerman Airport , Kerman
Destination Ataturk Airport , Istanbul
Passengers176
Crew12
Fatalities188
Injuries0
Survivors0 [1]

The 2009 Iranian Air Force Il-76MD Adnan 2 accident occurred on 22 September 2009, when an Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2 crashed during a flyby near the city of Tehran. Sources conflict on the cause of the loss, with some stating that there was a mid-air collision with an Iran Air Airbus A300 , and others stating that the rotodome detached from the aircraft, striking and removing the tailplane while the aircraft was manoeuvring for an emergency landing following an engine fire. The crash resulted in the deaths of all seven people on board the plane and the destruction of Iran's only functional airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft.

Contents

Accident

A military parade was held in Tehran on 22 September 2009 to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War and was a send-off for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was to give a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 23 September. [2] A flyby by the Iranian Air Force was part of the parade involving the AWACS-equipped Ilyushin-76MD as well as Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs and HESA Saeqeh aircraft. [3]

Sources vary on the cause of the accident. Some state that a fire developed in one of the engines, and that the radome detached when the aircraft was attempting to make an emergency landing on runway 29L at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. The detached radar dome struck the tail fin, removing it and causing loss of control which led to the aircraft crashing. [4] Other sources state that the Il-76MD and one of the escorts collided in mid-air over the site of the tomb of former Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeni. [2] [5] [6] [7]

The Ilyushin subsequently crashed in flames 15 km northwest of Varamin, killing all seven crew members on board. [4] Some reports state that no mayday call was made, indicating a sudden event [5] while other reports indicate that there was an emergency call from the aircraft with the pilot reporting an engine fire and calling for an emergency landing. [4] The accident was initially reported on the Islamic Republic News Agency website but was withdrawn 5 hours later. A video of burning wreckage from the military aircraft surrounded by fire trucks was also shown on state TV. However, President Ahmadinejad made no mention of it during his speech at the parade.[ citation needed ]

A video of the crash appeared on YouTube on 3 June 2011 uploaded by user Pooya Afaghi, showing the stricken IL-76MD with its rear fuselage missing, spiraling down out of control, and then impacting the ground. The appearance of the video was reported in the Huffington Post . [8]

Aircraft involved

IL-76

The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2, a Soviet-built transport aircraft, later converted to an AWACS system by the Iraqi Military Industrialization Corporation for the Iraqi Air Force called the Ilyushin Il-76MD Adnan 2. It had been flown from Iraq to Iran in 1991 during the First Gulf War, given serial number 5-8209 and renamed from "Baghdad" to "Simorgh" (a flying creature of Iranian fable which performs wonders in mid-flight). [2] After arrival in Iran, Russian technicians had reportedly upgraded the aircraft and installed a newer Iranian-made radar, which could trace flying objects within a 1,000 kilometres (540 nmi) range. The aircraft came into service in April 2008 and was the only AWACS-equipped Iranian aircraft. [5]

Possible second aircraft

If a mid-air collision was the cause of the accident, some sources state that the second aircraft involved was a Northrop F-5E Tiger II. [2] [5] [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop F-5</span> Lightweight low cost fighter aircraft based on Northrop T-38 Talon trainer

The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and the extensively updated F-5E and F-5F Tiger II variants. The design team wrapped a small, highly aerodynamic fighter around two compact and high-thrust General Electric J85 engines, focusing on performance and a low cost of maintenance. Smaller and simpler than contemporaries such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, the F-5 cost less to procure and operate, making it a popular export aircraft. Though primarily designed for a day air superiority role, the aircraft is also a capable ground-attack platform. The F-5A entered service in the early 1960s. During the Cold War, over 800 were produced through 1972 for US allies. Though at the time the United States Air Force (USAF) did not have a need for a light fighter, it did procure approximately 1,200 Northrop T-38 Talon trainer aircraft, which was based on Northrop's N-156 fighter design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilyushin Il-76</span> Russian heavy military transport aircraft

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the Antonov An-12. It was developed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1980.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1981.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force</span> Aerial service branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is the aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force came into being when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution. The IRIAF was heavily involved in the Iran–Iraq War, carrying out major operations like Operation Kaman 99, Operation Sultan 10, the H-3 airstrike, and the first attack on a nuclear reactor in history, Operation Scorch Sword. As a result of eight years of aerial combat in that conflict, the IRIAF has the second highest claimed number of fighter aces in the region, exceeded only by the Israeli Air Force; as many as seven IRIAF pilots claimed more than six kills, mostly achieved in the F-14 Tomcat. Veterans of the Iran–Iraq War would go on to form the core of the IRIAF command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kabul International Airport</span> International airport near Kabul, Afghanistan

Kabul International Airport is an airport located about five kilometres (3 mi) from the center of Kabul in Afghanistan. It is owned by the Government of Afghanistan and operated by UAE-based GAAC Holding on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. It serves as one of Afghanistan's main international airports and is capable of housing over one hundred aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HESA Saeqeh</span> Iranian fighter aircraft

The HESA Saeqeh, alternatively spelt Sa'eqeh; Saegheh, or Saeqeh-80, is an Iranian-built single-seat jet fighter, derived from the American Northrop F-5. A joint product of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and the Iranian Ministry of Defence, it is the second generation of the Iranian Azarakhsh fighter. Saeqeh aircraft were tested successfully in Iran 20 September 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehrabad International Airport</span> Airport in Tehran, Iran

Mehrabad Airport, is an airport serving Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger Imam Khomeini International Airport in 2007, Mehrabad was Tehran's primary airport in both international and domestic traffic, but now serves only domestic flights. Despite this, in 2016, Mehrabad Airport was the busiest airport in Iran in terms of passengers, handling 16,678,351 passengers in total. The airport is also used by the Government of Iran and is one of the bases of the Iranian Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash</span> Air crash in Tehran

On 6 December 2005 at 14:10 local time, 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-story apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport</span> Airport in Mashhad, Iran

Mashhad International Airport is an international airport located in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash</span> Deadly 2003 crash of an Iranian Air Force aircraft near Kerman, Iran

On 19 February 2003, an Ilyushin Il-76 crashed in mountainous terrain near Kerman in Iran. The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aircraft, registration 15–2280, was flying from Zahedan to Kerman when it crashed 35 kilometres southeast of Kerman. The aircraft was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a special force that is independent from the Iranian Army, on an unknown mission.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caspian Airlines Flight 7908</span> 2009 plane crash near Qazvin, Iran

Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 was a scheduled commercial flight from Tehran, Iran, to Yerevan, Armenia, that crashed near the village of Jannatabad, outside the city of Qazvin in north-western Iran, on 15 July 2009. All 153 passengers and 15 crew on board died.

2009 Ilyushin Il-76 crash may refer to one of several accidents involving Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft in 2009:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash</span>

On October 18, 1989, a Soviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76, carrying paratroopers from the 98th Guards Airborne Division, crashed into the Caspian Sea, killing all 57 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash</span>

In the early morning of June 24, 2022, an Ilyushin Il-76MD cargo aircraft of the Russian Air Force was operating a flight from Orenburg Tsentralny Airport to Belgorod International Airport with an intermediate flight to Dyagilevo air base crashed immediately after takeoff from Dyagilevo air base, near the Mikhailovsky highway area in the city of Ryazan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-military parade accident on September 16, 1995 (Mexico)</span>

The air accident at the military parade on September 16, 1995 was an event that occurred in Mexico in which 5 aircraft collided in the air, 4 of which were destroyed instantly.

References

  1. 1 2 "AircrashConsult.com". September 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Iranian Military Planes Crashes in Annual Parade". Defensenews. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  3. "Plane crash mars Iran military parade". NBC News. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Harro Ranter. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Iran loses its only AWACS as Ahmadinejad threatens the world". Debka. Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Iran loses its only AWACS aircraft in collision with jet-fighter". World Tribune. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Iran loses AWACS in mid-air collision". Arabian Aerospace. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  8. Hoffer, Steven (4 June 2011). "Iranian Aircraft Crash Captured On Camera (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 July 2011.