Passengers 40 Survivors 9 (10, initially) Location Tehran, Iran Operator Sepahan Airlines Survivor 9 (10, initially) | Crew 8 Date 10 August 2014 Destination Tabas Airport Fatalities 39 (38, initially) | |
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Summary Crashed shortly after takeoff due to reported engine failure for unknown reasons Site Near Azadi Stadium, Tehran Injuries (non-fatal) 9 (7 major; 10, initially) Similar Nepal Airlines Flight 183, 2014 Algerian Air Force, 2014 Lao People's Liberatio, 2014 Santos Cessna C, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702 | ||
Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 (SPN 5915) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tehran to Tabas, Iran. On 10 August 2014, the HESA IrAn-140 aircraft serving the flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Mehrabad International Airport, falling into a residential area near the Azadi Stadium. Of the 40 passengers and eight crew on board, 39 people died.
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Accident
The aircraft crashed into a residential block on Mina Glass Boulevard in western Tehran at 09:18 local time (04:48 UTC). The crash resulted in a fire erupting. IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, suggested that the aircraft suffered an engine failure.
Passengers and crew
There were 40 passengers and a crew of eight. Of the 40 passengers, 34 were adults and six were children.
The Independent has reported that nine people survived the crash. ABC News reported 38 people died instantly, and 10 passengers were hospitalised after sustaining injuries. State media originally reported that there were no survivors, but later revised their statement, stating there were about 10 survivors.
Cause
Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Ilkhani, head of the Iran Airports Company as stating, "Failure of one of the plane's engines caused the plane to crash on the northern side of the Tehran-Karaj highway [Expressway]." Survivors reported that the number two engine had stopped during the takeoff. The pilots reportedly turned back four minutes after takeoff upon experiencing technical difficulties, but were unable to maintain altitude. The Antonov An-140 (upon which the HESA IrAn-140 is based) is a relatively recent development, with knock-down kits being delivered for domestic Iranian assembly as recently as 2007.