What happened
On the day of the accident, an Iran Aseman Airline aircraft was conducting a scheduled calibration mission. The flight was originally intended to travel from Mehrabad airport in Tehran to Kish Island airport. The mission involved inspecting navigation aids, which required a series of specific flight patterns.
After departing from Tehran and reaching a cruising altitude of FL270, the aircraft arrived at Kish Island airport at 16:44 local time. Following the arrival, four ground technicians disembarked the aircraft to allow for refueling operations. Later, at 17:44 local time, the aircraft departed from runway 27R and requested to join the right downwind leg at an altitude of 1000 feet, positioned 8 miles from the airport.
The crew successfully completed seven full cycles of approach and climb procedures as part of the inspection process. However, during the eighth cycle, as the aircraft was transitioning to the final approach stage before reaching the runway threshold, it crashed into the sea at 18:45 local time. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and four fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
- The aircraft was engaged in a specialized calibration flight for the purpose of inspecting navigation aids.
- The accident occurred during the final approach phase of the eighth flight cycle.