Russia blames the US for the helicopter crash in Iran that killed the president
Iran's President Ibrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian and some top government officials were killed when the helicopter crashed. The primary cause of the accident last Sunday is being said to be hostile and inclement weather. However, some other reasons behind this are also being discussed.
The remote mountainous area of Zolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province was densely foggy when the helicopter carrying Ibrahim Raisi crashed. It was raining. Regarding the cause of the accident, Iranian state television said that the helicopter crashed due to hostile weather.
Iran formed an investigation committee the day after the accident to investigate how the helicopter crashed. Offering cooperation in this regard, Russia has said that they are ready to provide all necessary assistance to uncover the exact cause of Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter crash.
The European Union's Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says the cause of the crash of the helicopter carrying Rice was that the pilot could have been distracted while flying over high mountain areas and deep valleys. Operating in such environment is extremely exhausting mentally and physically for a pilot.
EASA says wind speed and direction in deep valleys can change suddenly and unexpectedly. Because of this the wind speed can fluctuate as mentioned. Due to this many times the pilot can lose control over the helicopter. Apart from this, fog is a very dangerous thing while traveling through these places.
Iran's President Ibrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash
Iranian President Ibrahim Raisifile killed in helicopter crash Photo: Reuters
But Kyle Bailey, a civil aviation expert, told Al-Jazeera that the pilots of the helicopter carrying Raisi did not attempt to call for help before the crash. As a result, there is no doubt that they were having trouble controlling the helicopter due to mechanical problems.
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Helicopter crash: Iran's president-foreign minister and all passengers were killed
Helicopter crash: Iran's president-foreign minister and all passengers were killed
Kyle Bailey also said that the first task of a pilot when faced with a mechanical problem while in the sky is to keep the helicopter afloat. Then try to contact for support. But the helicopter may have crashed before that. However, such accidents can also occur due to adverse weather conditions.
The helicopter carrying President Rice was a Bell-212 model. This US-made helicopter was bought by Tehran in 1979 before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. As such it is quite old. Earlier this model of helicopter was involved in an accident in Iran.
Civil aviation experts say there could be a number of reasons why the helicopter carrying Raisi crashed. Hostile weather is one of them. Some of these experts believe that the helicopter is a very old model.
Read moreOne passenger survived an hour after the helicopter crashed in Iran
In 1968, the US-made Bell 212 helicopter began to be marketed. Iran bought many helicopters of this model in the 1970s. At that time, Iran was ruled by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was known to be a close ally of the United States.
Even after the fall of the Shah through the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has been using US-made aircraft, helicopters and warplanes. Many are still in Iran's fleet. However, due to the US sanctions on Tehran after the revolution, it became difficult for Iran to buy parts for these repairs.
Ibrahim Raisi was returning in this Bell 212 model helicopter made in the United States
Ibrahim Rais was returning in this US-made Bell 212 helicopter. Photo: Reuters
Due to these reasons, the number of airplanes, warplanes and helicopters made by the United States in Iran's fleet began to decrease with time. Of course, to keep these things running, Tehran has brought some parts illegally. However, experts say that it is very difficult to keep them running if they do not get regular parts as required.
As of 2019, there were more than three hundred aircraft in the fleet of 23 Iranian airlines. At that time only 156 aircraft were operating. That is, half the aircraft was sitting. According to information provided by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, these aircraft have been grounded due to a lack of repair parts.
There are also concerns about the safety of these due to lack of spare parts for repairs. This causes accidents. During Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's tenure, Iran's air force has suffered multiple crashes of US-made fighter jets and helicopters.
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The helicopter that crashed with the Iranian president was made by the United States
The helicopter that crashed with the Iranian president was made by the United States
There have been numerous plane crashes in Iran since the Islamic Revolution. Almost all of these aircraft are made in the United States. According to the data of the Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives in Switzerland, 253 Iranian aircraft have been involved in accidents from 1979 to 2023. 3 thousand 335 people lost their lives in these accidents.
In recent times there have been concerns about the safety of the Bell 212 helicopter. In 2021, Canada said it would no longer use Bell 212 helicopters. Canada took this decision after an investigation on Bell 212 revealed various mechanical faults during the flight of this helicopter.
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