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Collision Between Civil Aircraft and Military Fighter at Tehran-Mehrabad Airport (EP-ITD)

Tehran-Mehrabad, IranTakeoff (climb)

On February 8, 1993, a Tupolev TU-154 (registration EP-ITD) operated by Iran Airtour was involved in an aviation accident near Tehran-Mehrabad, Iran during takeoff. 131 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Poor coordination between civil and military ATC. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-11Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered EP-ITD
Aircraft registered EP-ITD. Photo: Soheil Sahranavard / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A TU-154 and an Iranian Air Force Su-24MK collided after takeoff and landing approaches near Tehran-Mehrabad Airport, killing all 133 occupants.

Incident Overview A TU-154 had just departed runway 29R at Tehran-Mehrabad Airport and was climbing when it struck an Iranian Air Force Su-24MK that was preparing to land on runway 29L. Both aircraft then entered uncontrolled descents and crashed at a military depot about 15 km from the airport. All 131 occupants of the TU-154 and both pilots of the fighter were killed. The official investigation attributed the collision to poor coordination between civil and military air traffic control. The source does not provide a registration, operator, date, or other specific aircraft identifiers beyond the types stated.

Probable cause

Poor coordination between civil and military ATC
Midair collision

Related events

Same operator

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