Passenger plane crashes in Iran killing all aboard

A Ukrainian airline travelling from Tehran-Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA/OIIE) to Kiev-Borispol Airport (KBP/UKBB) with 176 people has crashed minutes after take-off from Tehran killing all on board. Iranian state television said the crash was still unknown but they think it is due to technical problems. The plane was operated by Ukraine International Airline and was leaving Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. In a phone interview with the heads of the Civil Aviation and Emergency Management in Iran, state TV reported that the crash site was in Shahriar, near Tehran. Emergency services said the fire at the crash site was so intense that they had to halt rescue efforts. The cause of the crash was not immediately known but Fars reported that the jet crashed due to technical problems after taking off from the Imam Khomeini international airport in Tehran, but it didn’t provide any additional detail. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately confirm the crash. The airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment and more information. Ukraine International says it has 42 planes in its fleet and operates 1,110 flights a week. “We are aware of the media reports of out Iran and we are gathering more information,” Boeing said in a statement.
The flight took off from runway 29R at 02:41 UTC (06:11 LT), with a delay of about one hour. The aircraft's ADS-B data as recorded by flight tracking websites Flightradar24 and Flightaware stop at 02:44 UTC at an altitude of about 7900 feet at a position about 20 km west-northwest of the airport. The aircraft is said to have crashed minutes later near Shahriar, 15 km north of the airport.
Ukraine took delivery of this aircraft on the 19th July 2016


Below is a Press Release of Ukraine International Airlines

CAO Iran released a.o. the following preliminary information:
- After takeoff the flight was cleared to climb to FL260 and instructed to contact Mehrabad ATC
- Radar contact was lost at 8000 feet
- Crash occurred at 06:18
- Impact occurred in a park and the aircraft disintegrated along a forward trajectory
- An eyewitness on the ground and another flight crew reported a fire on the airctaft
- The direction of ground impact indicates that the plane was on its way back to the airport
- CVR and FDR have been found; outer casing has impact and fire damage
- CAO Iran sent formal notification per ICAO Annex 13 to Ukraine (country of registration), USA (country of manufacture), Sweden and Canada (passengers of those countries were on board)
- CAO Iran invited per ICAO Annex 13 the authorities of these countries as party in the investigation
- A special working group on the investigation team will focus on explosives




Aircraft Information:
Airline: Ukraine International
Code: PS/AUI
Flight Number PS752
Aircraft: Boeing 737-8KV (WL)
Registration: UR-PSR
Serial Number: 38124 / 5977
Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-7B24E
First Flew: 21/06/2016


Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends and to the staff of Ukraine International