Details are just emerging of an Aseman Airlines ATR 72 having crashed in Iran, killing all 66 people on board. The plane crashed in southern Isfahan, into the Zagros mountains near the city of Semirom.
The plane had the registration EP-ATX, and was conducting a routine flight from Tehran to Yasuj, which covers a distance of ~330 miles. As of now details are still emerging, but it appears as if the weather enroute wasn’t good, as emergency helicopters weren’t initially able to get to the crash site.
Here’s what the country’s head of national security and foreign policy commission said, per Airlive:
“An ATR aircraft of Aseman Airlines with 60 passengers and about six crew disappeared from radar this morning,” Aladin Borujerdi, head of parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, told the semi-official ISNA news agency.
My thoughts are with the families and friends of all the passengers on board. How terrible.
This is the second major commercial plane crash in a week, as last week we a Saratov Airlines Antonov AN-148 crash near the village of Argunovo, about 60 miles southeast of Moscow. All 71 passengers and crew on that flight died as well.
(Featured image courtesy of Konstantin von Wedelstaedt)
Aaron, the Captain/pilot was one of the most experienced one on this flight.
So as soon 2017, one of the safest years on record for aviation, ended, suddenly everything goes crazy?
ATR crashes in Taiwan (2) and Laos...all pilot error ( albeit in difficult flying conditions).
It remains to be seen if this was pilot error, but airlines typically use their junior pilots and least experienced pilots on these short-hop routes, which are typically flown by ATRs.
@Tom I know that 2 transasia airways crashes were caused by pilot error. I think over 80% of their pilots failed the test. in one of the crashes, the pilot accidentally turned off the good engine instead of the bad one
ATR again
You people predicting a third crash are sick, sick folks!
These crashes always happen in threes, and that was the second...
These ATR's seem to have more incidents than other types of plane.
Is that why Airbub gives them a low profile?
@AJO: it always depends on the definition. For last years "zero crashes" number they only counted commercial flights (ruling out the B744 in Kyrgyzstan) and jets (ruling out two crashes of small turboprops). With that definition, this crash wouldn't count, but since we already had a commercial jet crash this year, there is no need to use that definition again to boast about safety this year.
@Lucky: minor detail, but the correct reg is EP-ATS,...
@AJO: it always depends on the definition. For last years "zero crashes" number they only counted commercial flights (ruling out the B744 in Kyrgyzstan) and jets (ruling out two crashes of small turboprops). With that definition, this crash wouldn't count, but since we already had a commercial jet crash this year, there is no need to use that definition again to boast about safety this year.
@Lucky: minor detail, but the correct reg is EP-ATS, they changed it after initially reporting EP-ATX (see avherald).
Sad indeed.
However, I was wondering: this doesn't "count" in terms of (un)safest years in aviation, right? See for example https://onemileatatime.com/2017-was-the-safest-year-on-record-for-commercial-aviation/
Tragic news.
These things always happen in threes
My condolences to all