Early in the morning of January 8, the Ukrainian Boeing 737, which was making a scheduled flight from Tehran to Kyiv, crashed near Imam Khomeini Airport immediately after its takeoff. The plane stopped transmitting a signal in 2 minutes. On board of the plane there were 167 passengers and nine crew members, and all of them died, including 11 Ukrainians (2 passengers and the entire crew). A preliminary cause of the accident is a fire due to a technical malfunction.
Iranian authorities deny that the plane could be shot down. According to the head of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, if a rocket shot down a plane, it would explode in the air. He said that the ignition of the engine was the cause of the disaster.
UIA said that it was one of the best aircraft. Its last testing was on January 6, 2020, therefore, pilot error is excluded.
President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelensky – instructed to create a special commission that will investigate the crash of the aircraft. It will include security officials and representatives of departments responsible for civil aviation. According to the president, it is necessary to work out all possible versions.
He also said that the flight suitability of all civil aviation would be tested.
During a briefing, UIA said that the aircraft was released in 2016 and received from the Boeing factory. It passed the technical check, and no malfunctions were found. UIA eliminates crew fault.
Arabian Business reports that the investigation will be carried out by Iran since the disaster occurred on its territory. At the same time, not all countries have experience conducting such actions. Therefore, France, the United States, and other countries often assist. Also, the aircraft manufacturing company can provide technical assistance.
However, the unstable situation in relations between Iran and the United States will complicate the participation of Boeing in the investigation.
