Caspian Airlines Flight 7908
Encyclopedia
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.
built in 1987 and operated by Iran's Caspian Airlines
, according to a spokesman for Iran's aviation agency. This type of aircraft was a best-seller for the Soviet (later Russian) aircraft industry between 1972 and 1994. Several hours after the crash, two of the three flight data recorder
s were recovered. Although they are damaged, it is hoped that they will yield sufficient information to determine the cause of the crash.
Although not officially confirmed, the crashed aircraft is widely reported as registration EP-CPG
, an aircraft which entered service on 20 April 1987 as YA-TAR for Bakhtar Afghan Airlines
and was sold to Ariana Afghan Airlines
in 1988. YA-TAR served with Ariana Afghan until sold to Caspian Airlines on 15 March 1998, 11 years after it was built. It was re-registered as EP-CPG in 1999.
The aircraft was checked for safety in June 2009 and was given flight licence until 2010. This was also stated by an Armenia
n aviation official, saying that the plane had gone through technical control in Mineralnye Vody airport
in southern Russia in June.
On the other hand, airport chief Iouri Samossnov would not confirm the reports in an interview with Ria Novosti news agency, saying: "I am not in a position to say if it was with us for maintenance".
), 16 minutes after take-off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. According to authorities, the aircraft's tail suddenly caught on fire. The pilot circled, trying to find a safe spot to land, but without success. The aircraft was completely destroyed after it crashed into an agricultural field, carving a crater up to 10 metres (32.8 ft) deep. An eye witness who claims to have been within 300 metres (328.1 yd) of the crash-site described the event as if "the plane just fell out of the sky". Three hours after the crash, fires over a 200 square metre area still remained. A witness told Fars news agency
:
The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder
and flight data recorder
were found on 16 July. However, one of the "black boxes" was reported by Chief Investigator Ahmad Majidi to be damaged. The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in Iran since the 2003 crash
of a military-operated Ilyushin Il-76
, in which 302 people were killed, and the deadliest civil aviation accident ever to occur in Iran.
nationals. 40 passengers were citizens of Armenia. There were also two Georgians
on board, two Canadians
, and two dual-national Iranian Australian
s. There were also two dual national Iranian-American
s.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed his sympathy for the deceased and their families.
Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on 15 July 2009 declaring the following day a Day of Mourning in the Republic of Armenia
.
.
Iranian officials blamed the crash on technical reasons. Three black boxes
have been found, two of them seriously damaged. It was claimed that the main reason of the accident was an engine failure and destruction due to a bird strike, which resulted in the loss of control and crash of the airplane.
Caspian Airlines
Caspian Airlines is an airline headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1993, it operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international flights to Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.-History:The airline was...
Flight 7908 was a scheduled commercial flight from Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, to Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, that crashed near the village of Jannatabad, outside the city of Qazvin
Qazvin
Qazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 349,821, in 96,420 families....
in north-western Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, on 15 July 2009. All 153 passengers and 15 crew on board died.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a Tupolev Tu-154MTupolev Tu-154
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid 1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. As the mainstay 'workhorse' of Soviet and Russian airlines for several decades, it serviced over a sixth of the world's landmass and carried half of all passengers flown...
built in 1987 and operated by Iran's Caspian Airlines
Caspian Airlines
Caspian Airlines is an airline headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1993, it operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international flights to Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.-History:The airline was...
, according to a spokesman for Iran's aviation agency. This type of aircraft was a best-seller for the Soviet (later Russian) aircraft industry between 1972 and 1994. Several hours after the crash, two of the three flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
s were recovered. Although they are damaged, it is hoped that they will yield sufficient information to determine the cause of the crash.
Although not officially confirmed, the crashed aircraft is widely reported as registration EP-CPG
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
, an aircraft which entered service on 20 April 1987 as YA-TAR for Bakhtar Afghan Airlines
Bakhtar Afghan Airlines
Bakhtar Afghan Airlines was an airline from Afghanistan, which offered domestic flights. The company was founded in 1967 as Bakhtar Alwatana, a name it kept until 1985, when it was renamed Bakhtar Afghan Airlines. In 1985 the company absorbed Ariana Afghan Airlines and became Afghanistan's sole...
and was sold to Ariana Afghan Airlines
Ariana Afghan Airlines
Ariana Afghan Airlines Co. Ltd. is the oldest and the national airline of Afghanistan, and is currently the largest Afghan airline, headquartered in Kabul...
in 1988. YA-TAR served with Ariana Afghan until sold to Caspian Airlines on 15 March 1998, 11 years after it was built. It was re-registered as EP-CPG in 1999.
The aircraft was checked for safety in June 2009 and was given flight licence until 2010. This was also stated by an Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n aviation official, saying that the plane had gone through technical control in Mineralnye Vody airport
Mineralnye Vody Airport
Mineralnye Vody Airport is an airport in Stavropol Krai, Russia located 4 km W of Mineralnye Vody. It features a civilian terminal area on its west side with 41 parking spots. The airfield houses a Tupolev Tu-154 maintenance facility on the east side.-Airlines and destinations:- External links :...
in southern Russia in June.
On the other hand, airport chief Iouri Samossnov would not confirm the reports in an interview with Ria Novosti news agency, saying: "I am not in a position to say if it was with us for maintenance".
Accident
The aircraft crashed at 11:33 Iran Daylight Time (07:03 UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), 16 minutes after take-off from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. According to authorities, the aircraft's tail suddenly caught on fire. The pilot circled, trying to find a safe spot to land, but without success. The aircraft was completely destroyed after it crashed into an agricultural field, carving a crater up to 10 metres (32.8 ft) deep. An eye witness who claims to have been within 300 metres (328.1 yd) of the crash-site described the event as if "the plane just fell out of the sky". Three hours after the crash, fires over a 200 square metre area still remained. A witness told Fars news agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
:
The aircraft's cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
and flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
were found on 16 July. However, one of the "black boxes" was reported by Chief Investigator Ahmad Majidi to be damaged. The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in Iran since the 2003 crash
2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
The 2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash was the deadliest aircraft accident in Iran. The crash, on February 19, 2003, killed 302 people, most of them members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. That crash marked the third Il-76 crash in Iran.-Cause:...
of a military-operated Ilyushin Il-76
Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
, in which 302 people were killed, and the deadliest civil aviation accident ever to occur in Iran.
Nationalities
It is reported that 38 (including two crew members) of the 168 passengers were IranianIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
nationals. 40 passengers were citizens of Armenia. There were also two Georgians
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
on board, two Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and two dual-national Iranian Australian
Iranian Australian
Iranian Australians are people of Iranian origin residing in Australia. They include expatriates in exile as well as permanent immigrants and their descendants.-History:...
s. There were also two dual national Iranian-American
Iranian-American
Iranian-Americans are Americans of Iranian ancestry or people possessing Iranian and American dual citizenship.Iranian-Americans are amongst the most highly educated groups in the United States...
s.
Notable passengers
- Martik Deravanesian. The founder of rehabilitation and father of orthopaedic science in Iran. He was also the adviser to Deputy Health and Rehabilitation of Red Crescent of Iran
- All members of Iran's national youth judoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
squad — eight athletes and two coaches - Former Iranian parliament member (2000–2004) Levon DavidianLevon DavidianLevon Davidian , an Iranian-Armenian politician, was a former Iranian parliament member. He died when Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashed killing all passengers on board. He was a psychiatrist and professor of university ....
- Natela Nikolava – wife of GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
's Ambassador to Iran - Masis Matian Konaraki - Manager of ABB Group in Iran
Aftermath
Although official statements from the authorities are yet to come, Iranian presidentPresident of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed his sympathy for the deceased and their families.
Armenian President
President of Armenia
President of Armenia is the title of the head of state of Armenia since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.-Democratic Republic of Armenia :*Avetis Aharonyan *Avetik Sahakyan *Avetis Aharonyan -Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and Armenian...
Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on 15 July 2009 declaring the following day a Day of Mourning in the Republic of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
Investigation
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced on 15 July that a governmental commission had been set up to investigate the crash. It would be headed by Vice Prime Minister Armen GevorgyanArmen Gevorgyan
-References:...
.
Iranian officials blamed the crash on technical reasons. Three black boxes
Black Box (transportation)
The term black box is a placeholder name used casually to refer to a collection of several different recording devices used in transportation: the flight recorders in aircraft, the event recorder in railway locomotives, the event data recorder in automobiles, message case in ships, and other...
have been found, two of them seriously damaged. It was claimed that the main reason of the accident was an engine failure and destruction due to a bird strike, which resulted in the loss of control and crash of the airplane.
External links
- Full List of Victims
- Tehran–Yerevan Flight 7908 Flight Crew & Passengers List – Caspian AirlinesCaspian AirlinesCaspian Airlines is an airline headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1993, it operates services between Tehran and other major cities in Iran and international flights to Syria, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine. Its main base is Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran.-History:The airline was...
- Aircraft Database of EP-CPG Airframes.org
- Fatal Accident: Final List of Passengers On Board Flight CPN-7908, 15 July 2009 - General Department of Civil Aviation - Armenia