Controversy Grows Over Cause of Ukrainian Passenger Plane Crash in Iran

Missile Shootdown Rumors and Terrorism Theories Emerge in Iran
Missile Crashes 5 Hours After Attack on US Military Base

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Controversy is spreading over the cause of the crash of a passenger plane belonging to a Ukrainian airline that crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran, Iran. While Iranian authorities initially suggested a mechanical failure as the cause, the Ukrainian airline denied the possibility of a mechanical defect, and Iran stated that it could not hand over the recovered black boxes to the aircraft manufacturer, Boeing in the United States. This has led to various suspicions including missile shootdown or terrorism.

According to foreign media such as Bloomberg News, on the 8th (local time), various suspicions have arisen regarding the cause of the crash of a Boeing 787-800 passenger plane belonging to Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), which crashed shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, Iran. Immediately after the accident, Iranian authorities reported that the cause was judged to be a mechanical failure, and the Ukrainian embassy in Iran also announced that there was no possibility of terrorism or missile attack causing the crash. However, controversy erupted when the Ukrainian embassy deleted its remarks related to the cause of the crash.

Ukraine International Airlines also stated that considering the experience of the pilots and crew, and the condition of the new passenger plane that was introduced only three years ago, the possibility of mechanical failure or pilot error is very low. Bloomberg News reported that aviation accident experts who viewed videos of the accident posted on social networking services (SNS) also raised suspicions. Jeffrey Guzzetti, who led the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accident investigation team, said that after reviewing the flight data and accident footage, it did not appear to be a typical engine failure or fire accident. The plane caught fire shortly after the crash, but unless the fire was intentionally ignited or exploded from outside, the plane would not catch fire in such a short time.

Accordingly, although various suspicions including shootdown or terrorism by Iranian authorities have emerged, the possibility of shootdown is still considered low. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard reportedly fired ballistic missiles at the Ain al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and the Erbil base around 1:20 a.m. that day. The passenger plane crashed about five hours later at 6:18 a.m.

Bloomberg News also reported that some experts showed a cautious attitude, saying that the cause of the passenger plane accident cannot be hastily concluded. John Cox, a former pilot who runs the aviation consulting firm Safety Operating Systems, advised, "At this point, no possibility should be ruled out," and suggested that external factors should be examined during the investigation process. Roger Cox, who worked as an investigator for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), also said that theoretically, the cargo loaded on the passenger plane might have shifted rapidly, causing a fire and leading to the crash.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.