Iran investigation says airliner caught fire before crash, Ukraine
outlines theories
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[January 09, 2020]
By Alexander Cornwell, Babak Dehghanpisheh and Natalia Zinets
DUBAI/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine outlined
four potential scenarios on Thursday to explain the deadly crash of one
of its airliners in Iran, including a missile strike and terrorism, as
Iranian investigators said the plane was on fire before it fell to the
ground.
Kiev said its investigators wanted to search the site of Wednesday's
crash southwest of Tehran for possible debris of a Russian-made missile
used by Iran's military. An initial report by Iran's civil aviation
organization said the plane had experienced an unspecified technical
problem.
The Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737-800, flying to Kiev and
carrying mostly Iranians and Iranian-Canadians, crashed shortly after
taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, killing all 176 people
on board.
The Iranian report cited witnesses on the ground and in a passing
aircraft flying at high altitude as saying the plane was on fire while
still aloft.
It said the three-year-old airliner, which had its last scheduled
maintenance on Monday, encountered a technical problem shortly after
take-off and started to head toward a nearby airport before it crashed.
The report said there was no radio communication from the pilot and that
the aircraft disappeared from radar at 8,000 feet (2,440 m).
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It is so far unclear if any technical issue could be related to a
maintenance fault or defective part.
The disaster puts a renewed spotlight on Boeing, which faces a safety
crisis over a different type of 737, though the plane that crashed in
Iran does not have the feature thought to have caused crashes of the
grounded 737 MAX.
The Iranian report referred to the crash as an accident.
Investigations into airliner crashes are complex, requiring regulators,
experts and companies across several international jurisdictions to work
together. It can take months to fully determine the cause and issuing an
initial report within 24 hours is rare.
A Canadian security source told Reuters there was evidence one of the
engines had overheated.
The crash happened hours after Iran launched missile attacks on U.S.-led
forces in Iraq, leading some to speculate that the plane may have been
hit.
The initial assessment of Western intelligence agencies was that the
plane had suffered a technical malfunction and had not been brought down
by a missile, five security sources -- three Americans, one European and
the Canadian -- who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
UKRAINIAN THEORIES
Ukraine Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov said the country's
investigators wanted to search for possible Russian missile debris after
seeing information on the internet.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/ldn_business_directory_small2_2016.png)
He referred to an unverified image circulated on Iranian social media
purportedly showing the debris of a Russian-made Tor-M1 surface-to-air
missile of the kind used by the Iranian military.
Ukrainian investigators into the crash include experts who participated
in the investigation into the 2014 shooting down of Malaysian Airlines
flight MH17, Danylov said.
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![](../images/010920pics/news_n27.jpg)
Debris of a plane belonging to Ukraine International Airlines, that
crashed after taking off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, is seen
on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran January 8, 2020. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA
(West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
![](../images/ads/current/fitzpatrick_lda_SPONSOR_2017.png)
The Malaysian airliner was shot down on July 17, 2014, over
territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it
was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on
board.
In a televised statement, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
earlier asked people to refrain from speculation, conspiracy
theories and hasty evaluations regarding the crash. He declared
Thursday a day of national mourning.
Zelenskiy said he would speak by telephone with the Iranian
president to step up cooperation in investigating the crash.
Ukraine is looking at various possible causes, including a missile
attack, a collision, an engine explosion or terrorism.
Countries recognized under a UN-administered convention as
participants should nominate who they wish to be involved in the
Iran-led investigation, the Iranian report said.
As the country where the plane was designed and built, the United
States would usually be allowed to be accredited but neither side
has said whether U.S. investigators will be dispatched to Iran.
Iran's aviation body could not be reached for comment to clarify its
position.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen with the United
States' killing of a top Iranian general on Friday. Tehran
retaliated with a missile strike on U.S. targets in Iraq.
BODY PARTS
The Ukrainian airliner took off at 6:12 a.m. local time and was
given permission to climb to 26,000 feet, the report said. It
crashed six minutes later near the town of Sabashahr.
Bodies and body parts recovered from the site of the crash have been
taken to the coroner's office for identification, the report said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Jan/09/images/ads/current/charrons_bch041713.png)
Smouldering debris, including shoes and clothes, was strewn across a
field where the plane crashed on Wednesday. Rescue workers in face
masks laid out scores of body bags.
Onboard were 146 Iranians, 10 Afghans, 11 Ukrainians, five Canadians
and four Swedes, the report said, but said some may have held
citizenship of other countries.
Ukrainian authorities have said those on board included 82 Iranians,
63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians.
The Tehran-Toronto via Kiev route was a popular for Canadians of
Iranian descent visiting Iran in the absence of direct flights.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell & Babak Dehghanpisheh in Dubai,
Natalia Zinets & Pavel Polityuk in Kiev; Additional reporting by Tim
Hepher in Paris, Jamie Freed in Sydney, Allison Lampert in Montreal,
Laurence Frost in Paris, Matthias Williams in Kiev, Mark Hosenball
in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Writing by Alexander
Cornwell, Editing by Angus MacSwan and Catherine Evans)
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