2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash

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2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash
Accident
An Iranian air force C-130E Hercules similar to the aircraft that crashed
Date	December 6, 2005 (2005-12-06)
Summary	Crashed into structure
Site	Hasanabad-e Baqeraf, near Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran 35°42′N 51°25′E / 35.700°N 51.417°E / 35.700; 51.417
Total fatalities	106
Total injuries	90
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lockheed C-130E Hercules
Operator	Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Registration	5-8519
Flight origin	Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran
Destination	Bandar Abbas International Airport, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Occupants	94
Passengers	84
Crew	10
Fatalities	94
Survivors	0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	12
Ground injuries	90

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-story apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.

Accident

The aircraft, bound for Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, was carrying 10 crew and 84 passengers, of whom 68 were reportedly journalists en route to watch a series of military exercises off the country's southern coast.

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported engine problems and unsuccessfully attempted to make an emergency landing at the city's Mehrabad International Airport, from which the aircraft had departed. The aircraft came down in a densely populated area of Hasanabad-e Baqeraf, near Tehran, crashing into an apartment building where many Iranian air force personnel resided.

Iranian State media reported a death toll of 128 victims, and some other news agencies reported a toll of 116. However, an official accident report created by the Aviation Safety Network stated that 106 people had died, including 12 on the ground. All 94 on board the aircraft were killed.

Casualties

Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that all 94 people on board, including 40 journalists, were killed upon impact. State radio reported at least 34 people were confirmed dead on the ground, putting the official death toll at 128. An Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Mojtaba Mir-Abdolahi, confirmed that 116 bodies were recovered from the site. However, it was later determined by the Aviation Safety Network that 12 people on the ground had died in the crash.

The Mehr news agency reported that 40 journalists on board worked for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and the others were from the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iranian Students' News Agency and Fars News Agency, and several newspapers.

Iason Sowden of Global Radio News in Tehran said there were reports of charred bodies on the ground near the crash site. Sowden also said that one wing of the plane was lying in front of the building. Initial pictures shown on Sky News and CNN showed complete chaos at the scene. Earlier in the day, all children were advised to stay at home due to high levels of smog and pollution.

Reuters reported that 28 people were transported to a nearby hospital. Iranian state radio reported that 90 people sustained serious injuries. The head of Tehran's rescue services was quoted in an interview with the Iranian Students' News Agency as saying that 132 people had been injured.

Engine problems

According to the police, the pilot reported engine difficulties minutes after takeoff. An emergency landing was requested, but the aircraft crashed just short of the runway.

Rescue operation

Eyewitnesses, whose accounts were carried on the BBC World Service, have stated that emergency crews arrived within three minutes of impact. SBS World News reported that riot police were called in to control onlookers who were blamed for blocking the access of emergency workers.

Context

This crash was the deadliest aviation disaster in Iran since February 2003, when 275 people were killed as a military transport aircraft crashed in southern Iran. Due to U.S. sanctions, Iran has been unable to buy new Western aircraft (whether commercial or military) or spare parts for existing aircraft from U.S. manufacturers. American-built military planes now operating in Iran were purchased under the old regime during the 1970s. Iranian officials blamed the country's poor aviation record on the sanctions.

Footnotes

^ Tragedy strikes Tehran Archived 2009-07-28 at the Wayback Machine; Mehr News
"Iran Plane Crashes Into Building; 128 Dead". ABC News. Associated Press. At least 128 people were killed
Ranter, Harro (6 December 2005). "ASN Accident Description (Iranian Air Force [5-8519])". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
"Scores die in Iranian air crash". BBC News. 2005-12-06. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
Update 19: Fiery Plane Crash in Iran Kills 128 People AP via Forbes.com: "90 were injured, Tehran state radio said."
"Iranian plane crash leaves 116 dead". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Reuters. 2005-12-07. Archived from the original on 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2021-09-28. Minutes after take off the pilot reported engine trouble and requested an emergency landing at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, but crashed just short of the runway, police said.
"Iran plane crash kills 116". SBS News. 7 December 2005. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
"110 killed in Iran plane crash". CNN. 2005-12-06. Archived from the original on 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
"U.S. Treasury Sanctions Guidelines: Iran" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-03. Retrieved 2005-12-07.
"Update: Tehran Plane Crash Death Toll At 119". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2005-12-06.

External links

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Iran
Before 1970	Jask Imperial Airways de Havilland Hercules crash (September 1929) KLM Bushehr incident (July 1935) Misrair SNCASE Languedoc crash (December 1951)
1970s	Sterling Airways Flight 901 (March 1974) Tehran UFO incident (September 1976)
1980s	Iran Air Flight 291 (January 1980) Iranian Air Force C-130 crash (September 1981) Kuwait Airways Flight 422 (April 1988) Iran Air Flight 655 (July 1988)
1990s	Tehran mid-air collision (February 1993) Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 746 (October 1994)
2000s	2000 Tehran airport collision (February 2000) Faraz Qeshm Airlines Yak-40 crash (May 2001) Iran Air Tours Flight 956 (February 2002) Aeromist-Kharkiv Flight 2137 (December 2002) Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash (February 2003) Iranian Air Force C-130 crash (December 2005) Iran Air Tours Flight 945 (September 2006) Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 (July 2009) Aria Air Flight 1525 (July 2009) Iranian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 accident (September 2009)
2010s	Taban Air Flight 6437 (January 2010) Iran Air Flight 277 (January 2011) Iran Air Flight 742 (October 2011) Iran–U.S. RQ-170 incident (December 2011) Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 (August 2014) Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 (February 2018) Iran Bombardier Challenger crash (March 2018) Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crash (January 2019)
2020s	Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (January 2020) Caspian Airlines Flight 6936 (January 2020) Varzaqan helicopter crash (May 2024)

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 (2005)
Jan 30 RAF Hercules shootdownFeb 3 Kam Air Flight 904Feb 20 British Airways Flight 268Mar 6 Air Transat Flight 961Mar 15 Loganair Islander accidentMar 16 Regional Airlines Flight 9288Mar 25 West Caribbean Airways Flight 9955Apr 2 Nias Island Sea King crashMay 3 Airwork Flight 23May 7 Lockhart River air disasterJun 9 Logan Airport runway incursionJul 16 Equatorial Express Airlines An-24 crashAug 2 Air France Flight 358Aug 6 Tuninter Flight 1153Aug 10 Copterline Flight 103Aug 14 Helios Airways Flight 522Aug 16 West Caribbean Airways Flight 708Aug 23 TANS Perú Flight 204Sep 5 Mandala Airlines Flight 091Sep 21 JetBlue Flight 292Oct 22 Bellview Airlines Flight 210Dec 6 Iranian Air Force C-130 crashDec 8 Southwest Airlines Flight 1248Dec 10 Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145Dec 19 Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101Dec 23 Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217
2004 ◄ ► 2006

Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 (2005)

Jan 30 RAF Hercules shootdownFeb 3 Kam Air Flight 904Feb 20 British Airways Flight 268Mar 6 Air Transat Flight 961Mar 15 Loganair Islander accidentMar 16 Regional Airlines Flight 9288Mar 25 West Caribbean Airways Flight 9955Apr 2 Nias Island Sea King crashMay 3 Airwork Flight 23May 7 Lockhart River air disasterJun 9 Logan Airport runway incursionJul 16 Equatorial Express Airlines An-24 crashAug 2 Air France Flight 358Aug 6 Tuninter Flight 1153Aug 10 Copterline Flight 103Aug 14 Helios Airways Flight 522Aug 16 West Caribbean Airways Flight 708Aug 23 TANS Perú Flight 204Sep 5 Mandala Airlines Flight 091Sep 21 JetBlue Flight 292Oct 22 Bellview Airlines Flight 210Dec 6 Iranian Air Force C-130 crashDec 8 Southwest Airlines Flight 1248Dec 10 Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145Dec 19 Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101Dec 23 Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217

2004 ◄ ► 2006

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