What happened
During a nighttime approach to Zahedman Airport, an aircraft descended below the required minimum safe altitude of 6,500 feet. While performing this maneuver, the plane impacted a mountain slope situated approximately 11 km from the airfield.
The accident resulted in 103 fatalities, leaving no survivors among the occupants. The passenger manifest included 96 soldiers who were being transported to the western front at the time of the crash.
Findings
Preliminary investigations suggest that the crew descended into terrain that was below safe operational limits for the approach phase. A potential contributing factor involves an error related to the altimeter, specifically either an incorrect altitude setting or a misreading of the instrument during the descent.