On 6 December 2005 (Azar 15, 1384) at 14:10 local time (10:40

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

), a

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

military

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

of the

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF; ) is the air force, aviation branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. The present air force was created when the Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed in 1979 following the Iranian Revoluti ...

, tail number ', c/n 4399, crashed into a ten-story

apartment building An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement ( Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) ...

in a residential area of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, the capital city of Iran.

Accident

The aircraft, bound for

Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas (, ) is a city in the Central District of Bandar Abbas County, Hormozgan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Bandar Abbas is a port on the southern coast of the country, on the Persian ...

on the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, was carrying 10 crew and 84 passengers,Tragedy strikes Tehran
; Mehr News of whom 68 were reportedly journalists en route to watch a series of military exercises off the country's southern coast. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported engine problems and unsuccessfully attempted to make an emergency landing at the city's

Mehrabad International Airport Mehrabad Interglobal Airport is an airport serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger Imam Khomeini International Airport in 2007, Mehrabad was Tehran's primary airport for both international and domestic tr ...

, from which the aircraft had departed. The aircraft came down in a densely populated area of Hasanabad-e Baqeraf, near Tehran, crashing into an apartment building where many Iranian air force personnel resided. Iranian State media reported a death toll of 128 victims, and some other news agencies reported a toll of 116. However, an official accident report created by the

Aviation Safety Network The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit, international organization concerning research, education, advocacy, and communications in the field of aviation safety. FSF brings together aviation professionals to help solve safety problems ...

stated that 106 people had died, including 12 on the ground. All 94 on board the aircraft were killed.

Casualties

Tehran mayor

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...

said that all 94 people on board, including 40 journalists, were killed upon impact. State radio reported at least 34 people were confirmed dead on the ground, putting the official death toll at 128. An Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Mojtaba Mir-Abdolahi, confirmed that 116 bodies were recovered from the site. However, it was later determined by the Aviation Safety Network that 12 people on the ground had died in the crash. The Mehr news agency reported that 40 journalists on board worked for the

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; ) or Seda va Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopo ...

, and the others were from the

Islamic Republic News Agency The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA; , ''Xabargozâri-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi'' or ), is the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Founded in November 1934 as Pars News Agency during the time of Reza Shah, it is government-fu ...

Iranian Students' News Agency The Iranian Students' News Agency () (ISNA, Persian: ) established in December 1999, is a news agency run by Iranian university students. Position Based in Tehran and founded in 1999 by Abolfazl Fateh-an ex-aide to former Iranian presidential ...

and

Fars News Agency The Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), one of the three branches of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency" ...

, and several newspapers. Iason Sowden of Global Radio News in Tehran said there were reports of charred bodies on the ground near the crash site. Sowden also said that one wing of the plane was lying in front of the building. Initial pictures shown on

Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of ...

and

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

showed complete chaos at the scene. Earlier in the day, all children were advised to stay at home due to high levels of smog and pollution.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

reported that 28 people were transported to a nearby hospital. Iranian state radio reported that 90 people sustained serious injuries. The head of Tehran's rescue services was quoted in an interview with the

as saying that 132 people had been injured.

Engine problems

According to the police, the pilot reported engine difficulties minutes after

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a tr ...

. An emergency landing was requested, but the aircraft crashed just short of the runway.

Rescue operation

Eyewitnesses, whose accounts were carried on the BBC World Service, have stated that emergency crews arrived within three minutes of impact.

SBS World News ''SBS World News'' is the news service of the Special Broadcasting Service in Australia. Its flagship nightly bulletin is broadcast at on SBS with additional weeknight late bulletins from on SBS. ''SBS News'' is the name of the news app and ...

reported that

riot police Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots. Riot police may be regular police officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...

were called in to control onlookers who were blamed for blocking the access of emergency workers.

Context

This crash was the deadliest aviation disaster in Iran since February 2003, when 275 people were killed as a military transport aircraft crashed in southern Iran. Due to U.S. sanctions, Iran has been unable to buy new Western aircraft (whether commercial or military) or spare parts for existing aircraft from U.S. manufacturers. American-built military planes now operating in Iran were purchased under the old regime during the 1970s. Iranian officials blamed the country's poor aviation record on the sanctions.

Footnotes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iranian Air Force C-130 Crash, 2005 2000s disasters in Iran 2005 disasters in Asia 2005 in Iran Aviation accidents and incidents in Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Aviation accidents and incidents in 2005 Accidents and incidents involving the Lockheed C-130 Hercules 2005 in military history 2000s in Tehran Accidental deaths in Iran December 2005 in Iran High-rise fires Aviation accidents and incidents caused by engine failure