Wed, Mar 29, 2006
Conflicting Stories About Aircraft's Origin
For the third time in four months, a plane has gone down over
Iran. The latest accident reportedly involves an Antonov cargo
aircraft -- and 12 people that, from the sound of it, were pretty
lucky.
Reuters reports the official IRNA news agency says that all 12
crewmembers aboard the aircraft survived the accident, with four of
them now in the hospital. They were injured when the plane went
down near Karaj, an industrial satellite city west of Tehran.
There are conflicting reports about the aircraft's origin --
with one official from a nearby airport saying the plane was
Bulgarian and had taken off from his airport a short time before
the accident, whereas a police spokesman said the plane was
Armenian in origin, and was overflying the country en route to a
destination in the United Arab Emirates when its pilot radioed for
an emergency landing.
Just as reports are unclear of the exact kind of aircraft
involved (the graphic below is of an Antonov AN-26, a common cargo
aircraft in the region), and where it was from... it's also not
known yet what caused the plane to go down -- although officials
say an engine failure, possibly caused by a bird strike, may have
contributed to the problem. Weather conditions were also poor at
the time the plane went down, with storms reported in the vicinity
of the accident site.
Last December, an Iranian C-130 crashed into a
residential highrise in Tehran, killing as many as 115
people. Earlier this year, a Dassault Falcon 20
carrying 13 people went down during an emergency landing
attempt. The plane reportedly crash when the landing
gear jammed. All onboard the Falcon, including a commander in the
Iranian army, were lost.
More News
Inversion to Launch Reentry Vehicle Demonstrator Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 This fall, the aerospace startup Inversion is set to launch its Ray reentry demonstrator capsule aboard Spac>[...]
"We are excited to accelerate the adoption of electric aviation technology and further our journey towards a sustainable future. The agreement with magniX underscores our commitmen>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
Aero Linx: OX5 Aviation Pioneers Each year a national reunion of OX5 Aviation Pioneers is hosted by one of the Wings in the organization. The reunions attract much attention as man>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]