1993 Tehran mid-air collision

The 1993 Tehran mid-air collision occurred near the Iranian capital city of Tehran on Monday, February 8, 1993, killing all 133 people on board both aircraft involved— Iran Air Tours Flight 962, a Tupolev Tu-154M, registered EP-ITD, and an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Sukhoi Su-24 fighter aircraft.[1][2]

Iran Air Tours Flight 962
Iranian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24
Accident
DateFebruary 8, 1993
SummaryMid-air collision caused by ATC error and pilot error on the Su-24
SiteShahr-e Qods, Tehran Province, Iran
Total fatalities133
Total survivors0
First aircraft

An Iran Air Tours Tu-154M
TypeTupolev Tu-154M
OperatorIran Air Tours
RegistrationEP-ITD
Flight originMehrabad International Airport
DestinationMashhad International Airport
Passengers119
Crew12
Fatalities131
Survivors0
Second aircraft

An IRIAF Su-24
TypeSukhoi Su-24
OperatorIranian Air Force
RegistrationUnknown
Flight originUnknown
DestinationMehrabad International Airport
Crew2
Fatalities2
Survivors0

Background

Iran Air Tours Flight 962

On that day, EP-ITD, with 119 passengers and 12 crew on board, departed from runway 29R at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on a non-scheduled domestic flight to Mashhad International Airport in Mashhad. The aircraft was flown by an unnamed Russian captain who had 12,000 flight hours (the information on the remaining flight crew is unknown). After takeoff, the aircraft was instructed to climb to 6,000 feet (1,800 m).[3]

Sukhoi Su-24

At the same time, five IRIAF Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jets were approaching to Mehrabad's runway 29L using visual flight rules (VFR). They would later be performing special maneuvers for the Iranian Revolution Commemoration Ceremony. These fighter jets were flying in a westerly heading and were placed at an altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) by Mehrabad air traffic controller (ATC) Faramarz Sarvi.[3]

Collision

Flight 962 was climbing at the direction of runway 29R, and at the same time, with the five Su-24's descending to land on runway 29L. All five of them were separated one mile apart. One of the Su-24's, piloted by a crew of two pilots, turned left 4 miles west of the tower but didn't have enough visibility as it was performing a go around. At this point, Flight 962 was nearing the Sukhoi fighter. Flight 962 and the Su-24 did not obtain visual sight of each other. At about 14:16 IRST, the two aircraft collided in mid-air; the rear engine and the tail of the Tupolev aircraft were torn off, and the flight crew lost control of the aircraft.[4] Both aircraft crashed into an army depot at the town of Shahr-e Qods, near Tehransar, about 9.4 miles from Mehrabad.[5] All 131 people aboard the Iran Air Tours airliner and both military pilots died.[1][6]

Investigation

Investigators determined that the pilot of Flight 962 followed exactly the instructions. Iran's Civil Aviation Authority concluded that the causes of the collision were: errors made by the military pilots of the Sukhoi Su-24 and air traffic controller error.[3] The primary causes were:

  1. The air traffic controller's decision allowed Flight 962 to climb while the Sukhoi Su-24's was descending.
  2. The controller failed to inform Flight 962 about the Sukhoi Su-24's entering their airspace.
  3. Failure to notify the military pilots about take-off of a Tupolev at the same time as the Sukhoi turns left.
  4. The controller did not express any concerns about the 1,000-foot (300 m) distance between the two aircraft.
  5. The Sukhoi pilots's failed to maintain the altitude as requested by the ATC, which caused the collision of the two aircraft.

See also

References
  1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Profile on EP-ITD". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  2. "مرگبارترین سوانح هوایی ایران" [The deadliest air accidents in Iran]. BBC Persian Television (in Persian). BBC. 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  3. "برخورد توپولف ایرتور با سوخو ۲۴ در بهمن ۷۱" [Tupolev Air Tour collided with Sukhoi 24 in Bahman 71]. Cann News (in Persian). Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  4. "فهرست سانحه‌های هوایی در ایران از ابتدا تا سال ۱۳۹۵" [List of air accidents in Iran from the beginning to 2016]. www.asriran.com (in Persian). 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  5. "نگاهی به پروازهای ناتمام در ایران طی سه دهه اخیر" [A look at unfinished flights in Iran over the last three decades]. Islamic Republic News Agency (in Persian). 2018-02-18. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  6. "Fatal Events Since 1970 for Iran Air/Iran Air Tours". airsafe.com.
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