Crash: Saha B703 at Fath on Jan 14th 2019, landed at wrong airport
By Simon Hradecky, created Monday, Jan 14th 2019 07:52Z, last updated Monday, Jan 14th 2019 08:50Z A Saha Airlines Boeing 707-300 freighter, registration EP-CPP performing a freight flight from Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) to Karaj (Iran) with 16 crew and a cargo of meat, was on approach to Karaj's Payam Airport's runway 30 (length 3660 meters/12,000 feet) when the crew descended towards and landed on Fath's airport 31L (length 1000 meters/3300 feet), overran the runway, broke through an airport perimeter wall, crashed into houses past the end of the runway and burst into flames at about 08:30L (03:00Z). So far one survivor (the flight engineer) and 16 bodies have been recovered. A number of houses were damaged.
Emergency services reported 16 bodies (15 male, 1 female) have been recovered so far. One survivor was taken to a hospital.
Another aircraft had confused the same airports but gone around in time, see Incident: Taban MD88 at Karaj on Nov 16th 2018, went around from very low height at wrong airport.
Iran's Air Force confirmed the aircraft belonged to Saha Airlines. The only survivor recovered so far was the flight engineer on board of the aircraft.
Metars Karaj:
OIIP 140400Z 16010KT 4000 BR FEW025 SCT035 OVC090 00/M01 Q1012 RERA=
OIIP 140300Z 12010KT 3000 SN RA FEW025 SCT035 OVC080 M00/M01 Q1012=
OIIP 131800Z 14008KT 6000 SCT035 BKN100 M01/M07 Q1014=
Scene at Fath Airport later the day:
Scene at Fath Airport (Photo: jemalrasheed):
Detail Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):
Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):
By Biscayne Bay on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 13:11Z
By Joe Momma on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:59Z
By hitchhog on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:45Z
By Harald on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:44Z
By jkLPPR on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:35Z
By Babajide Oni on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:26Z
By dElliott on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:25Z
By Tom on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 12:23Z
By harpyeagle on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 11:09Z
By Carlos Veigas on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 11:08Z
By Umid Sodikov on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 10:50Z
By SC1976 on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 10:50Z
By jerry311 on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 10:36Z
By c.t.g. on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 09:32Z
By Simon Hradecky on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 08:30Z
By (anonymous) on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 08:30Z
By Clipper on Monday, Jan 14th 2019 08:14Z
Add your comment: (max 1024 characters) Your Name: Your Email: Subject: Your comment:
The Aviation Herald Apps
Android and iOS
Support The Aviation Herald
one time
Monthly support 1 €/month
Interview: The human factor named "Simon Hradecky" and the team of man and machine
A  cargo plane, reported by local press as belonging to the Iranian military, crashed into houses in , near Tehran, the Iranian capital, yesterday. All but one of the sixteen on-board died; no deaths were reported on the ground, with local media reporting no-one was in the houses.
File image depicting Karaj.
The aircraft came down into a residential area between , where it was attempting to land, and . Fath Airport is owned by the . State media reported the cockpit voice recorder was recovered. The army said the plane was bringing meat from , Kyrgyzstan "to help the country's economy."

 said the crash involved pilot error. The lone survivor was a flight engineer. The entire crew were Iranians, the army said.  said the crash was followed by a fire. Photographs showed the aircraft, ''sans'' wings, with the cockpit buried within a house and twisted engine parts strewn around.

'''' reported the failed landing at Fath, which has a much shorter runway than Payam, was a mistake and the jet was supposed to land at Payam. The industry publication stated the aircraft overran the runway and broke through a perimeter barrier. It cited the  as stating  owned the plane, and claimed a reported sixteenth death. 

In 2018 another aircraft confused the two airports, performing an emergency  at "very low height" according to ''The Aviation Herald''.

The Centre for Aviation's database of air carriers lists Saha as belonging to the Air Force and states it runs flights with Boeing 707s and s, but uses s for freight. Airfleets, a database detailing the aircraft operated by commercial carriers, states the aircraft uses the A300 and 747 as well as the . It does not, however, list any 707s. ''The Aviation Herald'' states the 707 was a freighter, despite photos showing a row of windows along each side; it lists a  of EP-CPP. 

''Wikinews'' contacted Boeing in an effort to establish the plane's initial configuration when manufactured. Boeing did not release any specific information about the initial build, telling ''Wikinews'' the company "extends its profound condolences to the families and friends of those lost... as well as our best wishes for the recovery of those injured." Boeing referred to the 707 involved as a "cargo plane".

Iran's air fleet is ageing, with sanctions restricting the purchase of both new planes and parts to maintain those already owned. 


== Sources == 

*
*
*
*
*
*