What happened
On January 8, 2020, an inbound Ukraine International flight arriving from Kyiv landed at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. Following the arrival of the Boeing 737-800, registration UR-PSR, the aircraft underwent refueling and cargo processing. To ensure the aircraft did not exceed its maximum takeoff weight, airport personnel removed approximately 2,094 kg of passenger luggage from the flight.
The departure of flight 752 was delayed from its original schedule of 05:15. After completing boarding and receiving necessary clearances from air traffic control, the aircraft began pushback from its parking position at 05:55. The aircraft departed from runway 29 Right at 06:12, following a standard instrument flight rules (IFR) departure procedure.
Shortly after takeoff, while climbing through 8,100 feet, the aircraft's transponder signal and secondary radar information ceased to be visible to controllers. Although the aircraft remained detectable on primary radar for a brief period, it was observed veering to the right before disappearing entirely from all surveillance at 06:18. There were zero survivors as the aircraft crashed into the ground.
Findings
The investigation determined that the destruction of the aircraft was caused by the launching of two surface-to-air missiles by air defense forces. The detonation of the initial missile warhead near the aircraft damaged critical systems, leading to a subsequent crash and immediate explosion. The incident was compounded by failures in threat identification and ineffective risk management layers intended to protect civilian airspace.