Iran Air Flight 277
Encyclopedia
Iran Air Flight 277 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that crashed on , 2011 after a go-around
was initiated during final approach
in poor weather conditions to Urmia Airport
, West Azarbaijan province
, Iran. The aircraft operating the flight, between Mehrabad International Airport
, Tehran
, Iran, and Urmia, was an Iran Air
Boeing 727-286Adv
, registration
EP-IRP.
, registration EP-IRP, built in 1974. The aircraft spent a long time out of service. It was impounded at Baghdad
, Iraq from 1984 to 1990, and then stored from 1991 to 2002. It was then overhauled and returned to service.
was travelling between Tehran and Urmia
and crashed on its final approach near Urmia Airport near a lake. The accident occurred at around 19:45 local time
(16:15 UTC
), and was reportedly caused by poor weather. The aircraft had missed its first attempt at landing; it either crashed during a go-around
, or while attempting to return to Tehran. The weather conditions at the time of the accident included snow and low visibility. Upon impact, the aircraft broke into multiple pieces, though there was no fire or explosion. There were differing initial reports as to the type of aircraft that crashed, with either a Fokker 100 or a Boeing 727 claimed to have crashed, although the aircraft was later confirmed to be a Boeing 727.
.
Initial reports of the number of people on board were unclear. RIA Novosti reported 95 passengers were on the aircraft, while Reuters
reported 156 passengers and the Associated Press
claimed 105 passengers. Later reports put the total at either 105 or 106 people on board, with between 10 and 12 crew and either 95 or 94 passengers. The Iran Civil Aviation Organization
stated the day after the crash that a total of 93 passengers and 12 crew were on board, according to the manifest of the flight.
and the flight data recorder
. Iran's Transport Ministry stated that the investigation will comprise several working groups which will include specialists in various areas, including aircraft structure, engine parameter recordings and pilot operations. The investigation will be overseen by the Iran Civil Aviation Organization
. The flight data recorder
and cockpit voice recorder
were taken to Tehran for analysis.
Go-around
A go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach.- Origin of the term :The term arises from the traditional use of traffic patterns at airfields. A landing aircraft will first join the circuit pattern and prepare for landing in an orderly fashion...
was initiated during final approach
Final approach (aviation)
A final approach is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to landing. In aviation radio terminology, it is often shortened to "final".In a standard airport landing pattern, which is usually used under visual meteorological conditions , aircraft turn from base leg to final within one to two miles...
in poor weather conditions to Urmia Airport
Urmia Airport
Urmia Airport is an airport in Urmia, a city in the West Azarbaijan Province of Iran. Alternate spellings of the city and airport name include Urmieh, Uromiyeh, Orumieh, and Orumiyeh.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:...
, West Azarbaijan province
West Azarbaijan Province
West Azerbaijan Province or West Azarbaijan Province , is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in the North West of the country, bordering Turkey, Iraq and Nakhchivan, and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan and Kurdistan....
, Iran. The aircraft operating the flight, between Mehrabad International Airport
Mehrabad International Airport
Mehrabad International Airport is an airport that serves Tehran, Iran. It was the primary airport of Tehran in both international and domestic passenger traffic but has been replaced by Imam Khomeini International Airport in most of its international flights...
, 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, and Urmia, was an Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
Boeing 727-286Adv
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
, registration
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...
EP-IRP.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Boeing 727Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
, registration EP-IRP, built in 1974. The aircraft spent a long time out of service. It was impounded at Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq from 1984 to 1990, and then stored from 1991 to 2002. It was then overhauled and returned to service.
Accident
The flightFlight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
was travelling between Tehran and Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
and crashed on its final approach near Urmia Airport near a lake. The accident occurred at around 19:45 local time
UTC+3:30
UTC+03:30 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03:30. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:-External links:*...
(16:15 UTC
Coordinated 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...
), and was reportedly caused by poor weather. The aircraft had missed its first attempt at landing; it either crashed during a go-around
Go-around
A go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach.- Origin of the term :The term arises from the traditional use of traffic patterns at airfields. A landing aircraft will first join the circuit pattern and prepare for landing in an orderly fashion...
, or while attempting to return to Tehran. The weather conditions at the time of the accident included snow and low visibility. Upon impact, the aircraft broke into multiple pieces, though there was no fire or explosion. There were differing initial reports as to the type of aircraft that crashed, with either a Fokker 100 or a Boeing 727 claimed to have crashed, although the aircraft was later confirmed to be a Boeing 727.
.
Initial reports of the number of people on board were unclear. RIA Novosti reported 95 passengers were on the aircraft, while Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported 156 passengers and the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
claimed 105 passengers. Later reports put the total at either 105 or 106 people on board, with between 10 and 12 crew and either 95 or 94 passengers. The Iran Civil Aviation Organization
Iran Civil Aviation Organization
The Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Aviation Organization is Iran's civil aviation agency. The organization is headquartered at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.-External links:**...
stated the day after the crash that a total of 93 passengers and 12 crew were on board, according to the manifest of the flight.
Casualties
At least 77 people were killed and 26 were injured. Rescue efforts were complicated by heavy snow in the area. A local official stated that "[the] problem at the moment for rescue work is the heavy snow," which he said was around 70 cm (27.6 in) deep at the site of the crash. In the aftermath of the crash, 36 ambulances and 11 hospitals were utilized in the rescue operations.Nationalities of passengers
| Nationality | Fatalities | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Crew | ||
 Iraq |
4 | 5 | 9 |
 Iran |
63 | 10 | 73 |
| Total Fatalities: | 77 | ||
Investigation
Iran ordered an inquiry into the crash. A day after the accident, searchers at the location had obtained both the flight's cockpit voice recorderCockpit 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 the 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...
. Iran's Transport Ministry stated that the investigation will comprise several working groups which will include specialists in various areas, including aircraft structure, engine parameter recordings and pilot operations. The investigation will be overseen by the Iran Civil Aviation Organization
Iran Civil Aviation Organization
The Islamic Republic of Iran Civil Aviation Organization is Iran's civil aviation agency. The organization is headquartered at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.-External links:**...
. The 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...
and 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...
were taken to Tehran for analysis.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
External links
- Iran Air (Information about the crash is in )
- Iranian Civil Aviation Organization