Iranian passenger flight catches fire
Monday, January 25, 2010
Taban Air flight 6437 caught fire as it was landing at Mashhad International Airport in Iran at 7:20 A.M. local time (3:50 GMT) yesterday.
There were no fatalities. 46 people were injured out of 157 passengers and 13 crew members aboard. The flight was scheduled to fly from Abadan to Mashhad, but it made an early landing due to severe weather at the destination and an ill passenger.
As the flight landed amid poor visibility, the plane veered off the runway and gear collapsed, causing the tail to hit the runway. The right wing touched the ground, sheared off, and caught fire. The tail separated after the plane stopped and passengers were evacuated. The runway suffered damage from the tail's impact. It is not clear whether the tail caught fire before or after landing.
The plane involved in the accident was a Tupolev Tu-154 with tail number RA-85787, built in the former Soviet Union.
The Iranian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Taban Air's license.
Sources
[edit]- "Iranian plane catches fire on landing" — BBC News Online, January 24, 2010
- Reuters. "Plane catches fire in Iran, injures 42" — The Washington Post, January 24, 2010
- Farhad Pouladi. "Iran plane catches fire after crash-landing" — Agence France-Presse, January 24, 2010
- Plane crashes in Iran injuring 46 <broken link> — New Zealand Herald, January 25, 2010
- "Accident: Kolavia T154 at Mashad on Jan 24th 2010, medical emergency, risky landing, aircraft burst into flames" — The Aviation Herald, January 24, 2010
- "No casualties in Iranian plane crash" — UPI, January 24, 2010