Newsstand - Iranian Plane Crashes, All 168 on Board Believed Dead

Iranian Plane Crashes, All 168 on Board Believed Dead (http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-15-voa3.cfm) (VOA news)

Many dead in Iranian plane crash (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8151327.stm) (BBC - with video)

Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Airlines_Flight_7908) (wiki - wow, that was fast!)

168 Feared Dead After Plane Crashes in Iran (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/world/middleeast/16plane.html?hpw) (NY Times)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A passenger plane bound for Armenia from Iran crashed Wednesday morning in northwest Iran, and all 168 people aboard were believed to have perished, Iranian state media reported. The plane, made by the Russian company Tupolev, crashed near the city of Qazvin at about 11:30 a.m. local time after leaving Tehran on a flight to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, ...

Caspian Airlines is a Russian-Iranian venture IIRC and the planes that are their bread and butter are ones I would not want to fly.

A 22 year old Tupolev 154. What is the normal usable life for those planes?
Here's a list (http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/641871/some_crashes_involving_tupolev_airliner/index.html) of some of the crashes involving that plane.

Among the victims, all members of Iran's Junior Judo squad -- eight athletes and two coaches. :(

A 22 year old Tupolev 154. What is the normal usable life for those planes?
Here's a list (http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/641871/some_crashes_involving_tupolev_airliner/index.html) of some of the crashes involving that plane.

Among the victims, all members of Iran's Junior Judo squad -- eight athletes and two coaches. :(

For more details and (some) photos of 29 other incidents for the Tupolev 154 go here (http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=TU-154). The article that Gargoyle cites above spans 1994 to 2006. The list at airdisaster.com goes all the way back to 1973. The last incident was in 2006 and also in Iran. Of the 29 incidents I see where 19 of them had 100% fatality rates for the passengers. Anyone know of a single aircraft type that has the worst record? I know the DC-9 has over 75 crashes going back to 1966 with about 30 of them having 100% fatalities.

The Tu-154Ms are pretty durable jets, but the remaining airlines flying them can't afford to maintain them properly.

Some more sad news, from a local angle:
Australian siblings in fiery Iranian plane crash (http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian-siblings-in-fiery-iranian-plane-crash-20090716-dmfj.html)[SMH]
The Department of Foreign Affairs today confirmed that two Australians - a NSW brother and sister aged in their 20s - were listed on the flight manifesto for the Caspian Airlines Tupolev TU-154 which crashed near the city of Qazvin.

The siblings hold dual citizenship with Australia and Iran, a DFAT spokeswoman said.

I suppose Iran may still be prevented from using Boeing hardware; is this still the case in 2009?

Some more sad news, from a local angle:


I suppose Iran may still be prevented from using Boeing hardware; is this still the case in 2009?

It's not that Iran cannot use Boeing hardware, it's that illegal sanctions prevent any Iranian entity from purchasing replacement parts for the existing fleet and new/replacement aircraft. There are several entities that purchase parts on behalf of Iran but it is getting more and more difficult to do so as the US is very thorough about preventing transfer of aircraft parts to Iran.

The Tu-154 they were flying was not a plane, it was a heap of scrap metal. I wouldn't hesitate getting on an SU Tu-154, but one of another airline.

Some more sad news, from a local angle:


I suppose Iran may still be prevented from using Boeing hardware; is this still the case in 2009?

Iran cannot buy new Boeing or Airbus aircraft, as a result of US sanctions.

Thanks for the confirmation of this; I recall now that it was this kind of sanction.

The two Australian citizens were part of the expat Armenian community here, which I kind of expected. Myself and Mrs BB chatted with a very nice Armenian-American couple from LA, on the cruise we were on, the night I proposed to the missus. A very memorable night.

Iran cannot buy new Boeing or Airbus aircraft, as a result of US sanctions.

Since Airbus is a European company does that the sanctions are not just U.S.?

Since Airbus is a European company does that the sanctions are not just U.S.?

Airbus aircraft contain enough US origin content to make them subject to Washington's sanctions.