Incident Overview
On Wednesday, January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 operated a Boeing 737-800 with registration UR-PSR. The aircraft arrived at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) from Kyiv Boryspyl International Airport at 00:53 local time. Following the disembarkation of 58 passengers, the crew proceeded to a hotel while the aircraft underwent refueling and cargo processing.
Pre-Flight Operations
Between 01:16 and 01:38, the aircraft was fueled with 9,510 kg (11,800 liters) of fuel. To comply with maximum takeoff weight limits, airport services removed 82 packages weighing 2,094 kg from the cargo hold. Passenger boarding began at 04:45 after the crew embarked at 04:35. A total of 167 passengers boarded the aircraft. The flight was originally scheduled for 05:15 but was delayed due to weight restrictions related to luggage loading.
Takeoff and Loss of Contact
At 05:52, air traffic control coordinated clearance with relevant units, including the CMOCC. At 05:54, the flight received a clearance to climb to Flight Level 260. The aircraft detached from the jet bridge at 05:55 and began pushback. Takeoff occurred from Runway 29 Right at 06:12. After takeoff, the pilot announced the IKA 1A radar procedure as the Standard Instrument Departure (SID). Controllers instructed the pilot to turn right after reaching 6,000 feet and continue to the PAROT point.
Accident Sequence
At 06:17, the aircraft's signal disappeared from the secondary surveillance radar. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) terminated at 06:14:56, coinciding with the loss of Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) and ADS-B data. Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) detected the aircraft veering right for approximately three minutes before it disappeared from all radar scopes at 06:18. No radio contact indicating unusual conditions was received from the pilot prior to the loss of signal.
Official Findings
The official investigation concluded that the accident was caused by the air defense launching two surface-to-air missiles at the aircraft. The detonation of the first missile warhead in proximity to the aircraft caused critical damage to its systems, leading to an immediate crash and explosion upon impact with the ground. Contributing factors included ineffective risk management measures and an unanticipated error in threat identification by defense forces.