Iran "Ukrainian Passenger Plane Attempts Return After Takeoff Due to Issues"

Interpretation as a rebuttal to shootdown or friendly fire allegations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] Iranian aviation authorities announced on the morning of the 8th (local time) that the Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737-800 passenger plane that crashed near Tehran, Iran, attempted to return to Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport immediately after takeoff.

This announcement is analyzed as Iran's rebuttal against Western media and social network service (SNS) claims of shootdown or accidental bombing, stating that these are not true.

The Iran Civil Aviation Organization, investigating the crash, stated on the 9th, "According to initial investigation results, the passenger plane took off and flew westward, but after encountering a problem, it turned its nose right toward Imam Khomeini Airport."

They added, "The crew of the crashed plane did not make an emergency call to the airport control tower," and "Just before the crash, the plane was engulfed in flames, and a large explosion occurred upon impact with the ground." They also explained, "The plane disappeared from the radar screen when it climbed to 8,000 feet (approximately 2,400 meters)."

Earlier, at around 6:12 a.m. on the 8th, the passenger plane departing from Tehran and heading to Kyiv, Ukraine, crashed three minutes after takeoff, killing all 176 passengers on board.

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