Video Shows Missile Striking Ukranian Plane Over Iran
FlyerTalk January 09, 2020
The New York Times has obtained a video that shows the moment that a Ukraine Airlines plane was hit with a missile, just minutes after takeoff from Tehran.
The plane crashed on January 7, 2020, at roughly 5 a.m. local time. Initially, the Iranian press reported that there was a technical issue that caused the plane to crash. However, the playback of the transponder on Flightradar24 showed the plane climb to roughly 8,000 where it completely stopped transmitting its signal.
Usually, when planes crash, they continue transmitting altitude and speed data until impact. Ukraine’s embassy in Iran initially issued a statement ruling out terrorism or a rocket attack as a cause of the crash. But the statement was later removed from the embassy’s website and replaced by one saying it was too early to draw any conclusions.
The New York Times’ video shows a missile strike that caused a small explosion upon impact. Other videos of the plane capture it flying, on fire before it explodes and quickly crashes. The Ukraine International flight carried 180 on board. The citizenship of the passengers, according to telegram channels, was Iran (71), Canada (73), Germany (4), UK (3), Sweden (8), Afghanistan (6), Ukraine (2). There were 13 Ukranian crewmembers on board.
@amanuensis Because they were dual-national Canadian/Iranians and were connecting in Kiev to fly back to Canada. That's how the route between Tehran and Kiev was profitable for the Ukrainian airline.
Likely dual nationality citizens.
I wonder why so many Canadians were on board -- and so few Ukrainians.
"The New York Times’ video shows a missile strike that caused a small explosion upon impact." "Small" explosion????