1981 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash

1981 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash
An Iranian Air Force C-130E Hercules similar to the aircraft that crashed
Crash
Date29 September 1981 (1981-09-29)
SummaryCrashed into structure
SiteFiring range near Kahrizak, Iran
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed C-130 Hercules
Registration505
Flight originAhvaz, Khuzestan province
DestinationTehran
Fatalities80

On 29 September 1981, an Iranian Air Force C-130 military cargo aircraft crashed into a firing range near Kahrizak, Iran. The plane was flying from Ahvaz, Khuzestan province to Tehran, while returning from an inspection tour of Iranian military gains in the Iran–Iraq War.

The crashed killed 80 people, including former Defence Minister Javad Fakoori, then-Defence Minister Mousa Namjoo, then-Chief-of-Staff of the Army Valiollah Fallahi, and then-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Jahanara.

Background

See also: Iran–Iraq War

In order to break the Siege of Abadan, the Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh was performed from 27 to 29 September 1981.[1] To transfer the report of the Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh to Tehran, it was decided[when?] that several Iranian military leaders were to return to Tehran by a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft.[2]

Crash

At 19:00 local time (15:30 UTC) on 29 September 1981, the C-130 cargo aircraft crashed into a firing range near Kahrizak, Iran.[3][4] The plane was flying from Ahvaz in southwestern Khuzestan province to Tehran,[5] while returning from an inspection tour of Iranian military gains in the Iran–Iraq War.[6]

Casualties

Former Defence Minister and Air Force commander Javad Fakoori

The crashed killed all 80 people on board,[4] including former Defence Minister Javad Fakoori, then-Defence Minister Mousa Namjoo, Iranian General Valiollah Fallahi, and then-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Jahanara.[5] The four had played vital roles in the Iran–Iraq War, and the plane was carrying casualties of the war.

Initially, there was no official explanation for what caused the crash. The crash caused Iran to lose several military leaders, who were trying to break the Siege of Abadan. An undetermined number of Iranians who were wounded from the war were also in the plane.[3]

Causes

There was no official explanation given for reasons of the crash, and just one source called it the result of a "technical fault".[5] On the other hand, in a speech following the incident Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini made a reference to Mujahedeen Khalq as the perpetrator without clearly condemning the leftist group.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hanizadeh, Hassan (23 May 2009). "Khorramshahr: From occupation to liberation". Mehrnews. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
  2. ^ "ناگفته‌هایی از سقوط هواپیمای C130 حامل فرماندهان ارتش و سپاه". Fars news. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b Kifner, John (1 October 1981). "4 MILITARY CHIEFS IN IRAN ARE KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b "C-130 Accidents & Mishaps for the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force". C-130. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Rizvi, Sajid (30 September 1981). "Four top Iranian generals killed in plane crash". United Press International. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. ^ Smith, Winston (7 January 2014). "Iran's mysterious military plane crashes that amount to "mass purges"". The Aviationist. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Crash kills four top Iranian officers". The Daily Egyptian. Vol. 66, no. 29. Beirut. Associated Press. 1 October 1981. Retrieved 7 August 2021.