TU-154 Crash in Mashhad Iran

[Airbubba]

From the AP wire:

January 24, 2010

20 Injured After Plane Crash Lands in Iran

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 12:41 a.m. ET

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's state TV's website says a Russian-made Iranian passenger plane carrying 157 has crash landed in northeastern Iran injuring at least 20 people.

The website says there is no reports yet available on the possible death toll. It says the private Taban Air plane caught fire upon landing at Mashhad airport.

The report says the plane has been seriously damaged. Iran has about a dozen Soviet-built Tu-154 airliners.

U.S. sanctions prevent Iran from updating its 30-year-old American aircraft and make it difficult to get European spare parts or planes as well. The country has come to rely on Russian aircraft, many of them Soviet-era planes that are harder to get parts for since the fall of the Soviet Union.

[Diamond Bob]

A little bit more info here...Iranian officials told local news networks that the rear end of the Russian-built Tupolev 154 plane belonging to Taban Airline caught fire as the aircraft was landing at Mashhad airport.

"The plane went off the runaway upon landing and part of its rear end broke away," state television quoted as saying Javad Erfanian, head of disaster management of Khorasan Razavi province of which Mashhad is the capital.

"Forty-six people have been injured, but most of them are not serious."

46 injured as Iran plane catches fire: Report - Middle East - World - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/46-injured-as-Iran-plane-catches-fire-Report-/articleshow/5494340.cms)

[rmac]

An Iranian friend of mine tells me that the preferred method of travel is bus.

No wonder, this type of thing seems to happen with monotonous regularity.

[WhiteSwan]

METAR of the accident time:
METAR OIMM 240300Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV001 02/02 Q1021 A3016

MHD METAR at 0430Z and 0800IRST
OIMM 240430Z 00000KT 0100 FG VV/// 02/02 Q1021 A3017

The ILS facility at OIMM is CAT I and pilot made landing by his discretion due to medical emergency

Latest NOTAM shows the RWY 13L/31R has been closed till 1430 local time
- RWY 13L/31R CLSD DUE TO DISABLE ACFT. 24 JAN 03:47 2010 UNTIL 24 JAN 11:00 2010.

[WhiteSwan]

According to my colleagues at Iranian Air and Space major forum (Aerospacetalk.ir) the plane was RA-85787 which wet-leased from Russian operator "KOLAVIA"

http://thumbnails20.imagebam.com/6512/875d8f65116906.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/875d8f65116906)
http://thumbnails25.imagebam.com/6512/58c55665116792.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/58c55665116792)


Some new pictures:
http://thumbnails27.imagebam.com/6512/179ff465117197.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/179ff465117197) http://thumbnails19.imagebam.com/6512/603a2f65117200.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/603a2f65117200) http://thumbnails17.imagebam.com/6512/c4c55765117203.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/c4c55765117203)
http://thumbnails27.imagebam.com/6512/cd786e65117205.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/cd786e65117205) http://thumbnails28.imagebam.com/6512/b186bf65117207.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b186bf65117207) http://thumbnails19.imagebam.com/6512/d6442765117209.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/d6442765117209)

[matkat]

Rmac, as I work in Iran myself(Ahwaz) I would certainly not travel by bus I have only ever been in 2 car crashes in my life both here and within 2 miles of my office at the airport, however saying that I do travel from Ahwaz-Tehran only on Iranair and then either EK to DXB or BMI to LHR.

[WhiteSwan]

Iranian Civil Aviation Organization suspends Taban Air AOC till end of investigations, rumors here!!!

Early investigation shows pilot error...
MHD ILS CATI minimum visibility is 800m but according to METAR visibility at that time is only 200m
Aircraft touched at the vicinity of the RWY but landing gears collapsed due to unpaved surface.

[ATC Watcher]

U.S. sanctions prevent Iran from updating its 30-year-old American aircraft and make it difficult to get European spare parts or planes as well. The country has come to rely on Russian aircraft, many of them Soviet-era planes that are harder to get parts for since the fall of the Soviet Union.
My info is that crew insited on landing despite below minima because of a sick pax on board . So this one has not much to do with lack of spares.(The first part of the above statement is however correct )In any case, plenty of Tu154 spare parts in Russia, as this A/c was Russian registered.

An Iranian friend of mine tells me that the preferred method of travel is bus.
If you knew how iranians drive and the yearly death doll on the roads in Iran you would prefer Air travel when you can.

[matkat]

ATC Watcher, in reference to bus travel, Iranian driving and the death toll on the roads which I am led to believe is the highest per capita in the world(and seeing it everyday I would not argue) air travel is far preferable, my nerves are bad enough in the 5 min drive from hotel-office-hotel everyday I could not imagine what it would be like on a bus from Tehran-Ahwaz-Tehran(15 hours each way) I will take my chances with Iranair.

[BigHitDH]

"The plane went off the runaway upon landing and part of its rear end broke away,"

Well, looking at the pictures, that's got be the understatement of the year thus far. :ok:

[Diamond Bob]

Has anyone seen the tail anywhere? I wonder if this is what happened.......

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[hetfield]

Yeah, looks like a little mishap at touch down.

[matkat]

Now from the horse's mouth: There is no problem getting parts for either russian or european aircraft in Iran there IS as problem getting parts for US built aircraft but as there is relatively few US aircraft flying here that is not a problem.
The text did not say a lack of spares caused the accident only that it was difficult to get spare parts for US aircraft which is true, what is not true is it being difficult to get either spares or whole aircraft from europe, I am not speculating on this as I deal with it every day.

[iranair777]

Anything that goes wrong in Iran is always USA's fault. Iran has so many clever people and has so much potential. Too bad it's run by brainless idiots:ugh: They will sink it for sure!

As for this plane crash, let's stop beating around the bush. There are many Tu-154's still flying around. This one was even Russian registered, so getting spare parts won't be a much of a problem problem. A US sanction certainly won't affect this. Also with so many things going wrong, it wouldn't surprise me if maintenance issues are being swept under the table. So it's not a matter of no spare parts, but rather a matter of 'let's see how long this nut can actually last' Now this of course is just my speculation and if you consider it wild, surely it's not as wild as blaming the US for the crash of a Russian built aircraft. The Iranian government needs to stop blaming the rest of the world for their incompetence.

And since by now I sound like a totally insensitive http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/censored.gif I do wanna wish the survivors a speedy recovery.

Your not being insensitive at all. I completely agree with your statement but for one thing. Iran is willing to buy airbus or boeing aircraft and are seeking them when they can, but the only problem is America is stopping that from happening. A while back they tried to buy brand new A330's to replace the 741/2's and that fell through. Iran air is still owed a few A300/310's from the deposits they put down when buying the aircraft before and after the revolution.

The only problem is America. What America doesn't realise is that these are commercial aircrafts used by private airlines in Iran by fare paying citizens. Although I also trust Iranian engineers completely, anything can happen with poorly equipt and such old aircraft. What America doesn't understand is that anything can happen with any flight which is in international and ally countries which risks lives on the ground as well as in the aircraft.

All we ask for is for America to allow Iran to purchase new aircraft just to replace the old ones and allow continous support for these aircraft.

[Aviaservice]

Why do they write "A RUSSIAN-made plane" always but "A US-made plane" or "FRENCH-made plane" never!?

[Clandestino]

I suppose that sinkrate just before touchdown will be the most interesting part of the report. Both wings are ripped of near their roots, nosegear and tail assembly are nowhere to be seen yet the fuselage didn't break and remained upright throughout the crash. I'm impressed. At least Tu-154 designers, товарищи Е́гер, Марков & Co did something pretty darn well.

[clearedtocross]

Sometimes I wonder if this is really a pilots forum or rather one for frustrated nationalists?
If you look at that metar and consider that the airport is allegedly CAT I, it's rather pointless to bash about who's got the worse governement and where you get the spare parts.
To land anything in 100 fog without autoland is just asking for it, and a passenger must be mighty sick to justify such a feat. Might make many more pax sick or worse.

[ATC Watcher]

Iranair 777 : If you change " America" by the US administration and the UN security council " you'll be more correct. Some of the trade sanctions are from the UN no ?.
I was told the issue is the possible dual use of those aircraft . I understand your Air force and your Revolutianry Guards Air branchh has a lot of 707s and 747s they would also like to change.
So the main problem regarding Iran is political and has more to do with the "N" word in my opinion wont'you agree ?.

Aviaservice :Good point, but for your info there is no longer any French-built large aircraft unfortunately. Dassault is the last one and it is business jets. The Airbus familly is European, France has only 40% of it.

Finally there are a lot of western types flying in Iran , Iran air (*)and Mahan air fly exclusively western types incl A300-600 , A320s and 747-400.

Cleartocross : absolutely spot on ! This accident has indeed nothing to do with Tupolevs, trade sanctions or spare parts, just someone deciding to have a go below minima.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not and it ends badly.

Avman " Hi long time no see , you're OK ?

[vovachan]

nosegear and tail assembly are nowhere to be found

Actually the nosegear crashed through the floor.

[Juliet Sierra Papa]

Actually the nosegear crashed through the floor.

It may have done so but would you Care to verify that.

JSP

[iranair777]

ATC Watcher, you need to remember that the sanctions bar a high percentage of american made parts being in a single aircraft or part of aircraft. And just to back that up, America is pressuring the UN to put sanctions against commercial aircraft. And yes, by America I mean the American Govt. I personally would love to come to america and go around the western seaboard (LOVE YELLOWSTONE! <3 )

[Dushan]

I personally would love to come to america and go around the western seaboard (LOVE YELLOWSTONE! <3 )

So why don't you? These days you get a good value for your money in US.

[iranair777]

Considering I am a student about to start a university course in Sept (hopefully) in pilot studies, I need to raise £40K or so. Its a bitch, but I have no other alternative :(

[vovachan]

According to company rep it was their second attempt to reach Mashhad that day. They diverted once due visibility, then it cleared up but by the time they got there visibility was poor once again.