2019 Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crash
 A Saha Airlines Boeing 707-3J9C, similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 January 2019 |
| Summary | Runway overrun; under investigation |
| Site | Fath Air Base, Alborz Province, Iran 35°43′15″N 50°55′37″E / 35.72083°N 50.92694°ECoordinates: 35°43′15″N 50°55′37″E / 35.72083°N 50.92694°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-3J9C |
| Operator | Saha Airlines |
| Registration | EP-CPP |
| Flight origin | Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |
| Destination | Payam International Airport, Karaj, Iran |
| Occupants | 16 |
| Fatalities | 15 |
| Injuries | 1 (serious) |
| Survivors | 1 |
 |
On 14 January 2019, a Boeing 707 operated by Saha Airlines on a cargo flight crashed at Fath Air Base, near Karaj, Alborz Province in Iran. Fifteen of the sixteen people on board were killed.
Aircraft[edit]
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-3J9C, c/n 21128, registration EP-CPP.[1] The aircraft was owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and had been leased to Saha Airlines.[2] The aircraft was 42 years old at the time.[3] The aircraft had first flown on 19 November 1976 and was delivered that month to the Imperial Iranian Air Force as 5-8312. It had been transferred to Saha Airlines on 27 February 2000 and was re-registered EP-SHK. It was substantially damaged by an uncontained engine failure on 3 August 2009 whilst on a flight from Ahvaz International Airport to Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran. An emergency landing was made at Ahvaz; the aircraft was subsequently repaired. It was returned to the IRIAF in December 2015 and returned to Saha Airlines in May 2016, registered EP-CPP.[4]
Accident[edit]
The aircraft was on an international cargo flight carrying meat from Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Payam International Airport,[5] Karaj, Iran. It was reported that the aircraft made an emergency landing at 8:30 am local time at Fath Air Base,[6][7] 10.9 kilometres (5.9 nmi)[8] to the south-east of Payam, with some sources suggesting that the aircraft landed there in error.[3][9] A 707 generally requires a runway length of more than 2,500 metres (8,200 ft),[10] but the runway at Fath Air Base is only 1,300 metres (4,300 ft).[11] Poor weather conditions were also reported.[12]
The aircraft overran the runway, crashed through a wall and came to rest after colliding with a house in the neighborhood of Farrokhabad, Fardis County, Alborz Province. The houses involved were empty at the time of the crash,[12][13] and no one on the ground was injured.[12] Following the crash, a fire developed. Early reports gave the number of people on board as either sixteen or seventeen (one a woman[13]), all but one of whom died.[7][12] The sole survivor, the aircraft's flight engineer, was taken to Shariati Hospital in critical condition.[3]
In a possibly related incident from 16 November 2018, a Taban Airlines MD-88 carrying 155 people twice attempted to land on this runway, mistaking it for the longer 3,659-metre (12,005 ft) Payam runway, which is nearly inline. On first approach the plane reached an altitude of 1 metre (3.3 ft) before aborting the attempt, but eventually continued on for a safe landing at Payam after an aborted second attempt at Fath.[14]
Investigation[edit]
An investigation was opened into the accident.[3] The cockpit voice recorder was recovered from the wreckage on 14 January.[12] The flight data recorder and the Control Display Unit were also recovered.[1]
See also[edit]
- List of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
- List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline (P–Z)
- List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents
References[edit]
- ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (14 January 2019). "Crash: Saha B703 at Fath on Jan 14th 2019, landed at wrong airport". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "EP-CPP hull-loss occurrence". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d Livingstone, Tom (14 January 2019). "Flight engineer survives Iran plane crash". Channel Nine News. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "EP-SHK non-hull loss occurrence". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ 35°46′33.9″N 050°49′36.1″E / 35.776083°N 50.826694°E
- ^ Mitchinson, James, ed. (15 January 2018). "Ageing military cargo jet crashes, killing 15". The Yorkshire Post. p. 10. ISSN 0963-1496.
- ^ a b "Boeing 707 cargo plane crashes near Tehran, claims 16 lives". Tehran Times. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ Distance calculated from coordinates given, at GPS-Coordinates.org
- ^ "Iranian Army Boeing-707 Crashes Near Tehran, 15 Killed (PHOTO, VIDEO)". Sputnik News. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Aircraft Runway Requirements". Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Measured from Google Maps". Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Iran cargo plane crash 'leaves 15 dead'". BBC News Online. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Bodies of 10 victims of plane crash identified". Islamic Republic News Agency. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 219603". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
External links[edit]
Media related to 2019 Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crash at Wikimedia Commons
