Sepahan Airlines Aircraft Crashes in Iran

A Sepahan Airlines AN-140-100 registered EP-GPA has crashed while departing from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran. According to authorities in Iran, at least 38 of the 42 passengers and 6 crew members have been killed. 

Image Source: Cari
The aircraft was on a flight to Tabas, Iran when it crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. According to local aviation authorities, at least five children were on board the aircraft. 

The aircraft was an Iranian built IrAn-140, a variant of the Antonov An-140 that is built under license in Iran with complete kits supplied by Antonov. There have been a number of deadly plane crashes in Iran over the years due to the ageing aircraft operating in the country along with a poor maintenance record.

Image Source: RT
According to a report from the BBC, Iran is still flying aircraft that were purchased prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Much of this is due to international trade sanctions that were imposed after 52 American hostages were held in Tehran for 444 days. 

Several Iranian aircraft are currently flying with unofficial spare parts. In the last 25 years, there have been more than 200 accidents involving Iranian aircraft that have led to the deaths of more than 2,000 people. Iranian politicians are blaming the local aviation authorities for the crash, suggesting that the aircraft should not have been permitted to fly after suffering malfunctions during test flights.

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