Ukrainian Boeing plane crashes in Iran, 176 people dead

Our live coverage of the plane crash in Iran has moved here.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to President Trump about the plane crash and that he expressed his condolences.

Trudeau tweeted a readout of his call with Trump.

Eight Ottawa residents were killed in the Ukrainian plane crash in Iran, according to CNN news partner CTV News.

Friends and family confirmed to CTV News that 48-year-old Ali Pey, the founder and CEO of Message Hopper, a Kanata-based tech company, was killed in the Boeing 737 crash in Tehran that killed all 176 passengers and crew on board, including 63 Canadians.

Three University of Ottawa students were also among the victims of the crash, the university confirmed Wednesday.

Family and friends identified them to CTV News as Mehraban Badiei, Alma Oladi, and Saeed Kashani.

A statement from Carleton University Wednesday afternoon said two members of its community were also killed in the crash. Biology student Fareed Arasteh and biology alumnus Mansour Pourjam were among the passengers on the plane, according to the University.

“Our thoughts are with Fareed’s and Mansour’s families, friends and colleagues at this difficult time, and with everyone who has suffered loss in this terrible tragedy,” the university president Benoit-Antoine Bacon said in the statement.

Roja Azadian, who had travelled to Iran with her husband, was also killed in the crash, her friends told CTV News. Her husband couldn’t board the return flight due to a ticket mix-up, so she went ahead alone, friends told CTV.

Another Ottawa resident, Fereshteh Maleki, who was visiting Tehran for her daughter’s wedding, was also killed in the crash, according to CTV News. 

Given the level of the crew’s experience, it’s unlikely that the plane crash was the result of error, Ukrainian International Airlines vice president of operations Ihor Sosnovsky said in a statement on Wednesday.

The airline also released the names of the pilots and crew, who died in the crash.

The pilots were:

The flight attendants were:

A plane’s so-called “black boxes” – the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – can provide crucial evidence about what happened before a crash.

After the black boxes from Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 plane were found, Ali Abedzadeh, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority, told Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency that the US would not be involved at any stage of the investigation.

“We will not give the black box to the manufacturer [Boeing] or America,” he said.

Former FAA chief of staff Michael Goldfarb told CNN that move was not necessarily against protocol.

Under international rules, Iran would be the lead investigator of the crash and Ukraine should participate as the state of registry and state of operator of the aircraft.

But the US – where Boeing is designed and manufactured – is not required to be involved in investigations right off the bat, Goldfarb said.

But Goldfarb added there was no way the Iranians could refuse to work with Boeing and do justice to the investigation.

“They have to work with Boeing. Boeing has all the data, owns all the drawings and designs, they have the engineers, they know the plane.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for “complete cooperation with any investigation into the cause of the crash,” saying that the US would continue to follow the incident closely and was prepared to offer Ukraine “all possible assistance.”

The escalated hostilities between the US and Iran have only further complicated the thorny task of investigating a Boeing jet crash near the Tehran airport.  

One US transportation official called the situation “unimaginably” complex. The officials did not speculate on the potential cause of the crash but said that the US is interested in the “circumstances” of the incident.  

US government investigators, for example, cannot simply fly into Tehran and meet with their Ukrainian counterparts. That prohibition is due to longstanding sanctions rather than the most recent events, according to two US transportation officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 

The Iranian government has control of the investigation under international protocol. If the US were invited to join the probe, American investigators would need a special license granted by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in consultation with the State Department, according to the two officials.  

That license would be somewhat uncharted territory for US aviation investigators, according to the officials. 

Past international investigations that would have required a license for US involvement have generally involved older aircraft or involved crashes caused by circumstances like running out of fuel; because of that, the US investigators did not involve themselves. The last time a license was pursued, the process took approximately a year, one of the officials said.  

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Christopher O’Neil said in a statement: 

US intelligence is “taking a look at the crash” of the Ukrainian jet last night, a US official tells CNN, as suspicions rise about what could have caused a Boeing jet to crash near the Tehran airport shortly after takeoff.

If there was a missile fired, there would be a heat signature that would be captured by US military and intelligence systems. So far, a review of the imagery has not found any telltale sign, according to another US official, but the scrutiny continues. 

Intelligence analysts will also review images of the wreckage for indications of explosions from inside or outside the aircraft, as well as other intelligence.

The possibility of such an explosion is not farfetched, according to one expert.

Former NTSB Managing Director Peter Goelz told CNN the initial evidence suggests something other than a mechanical malfunction. 

“I think you’ve got to look very carefully at the nefarious,” he said.

“The plane was at 7,800 feet which would minimize but wouldn’t eliminate bird strike,” but apparent video of the incident shows what Goelz called “a pretty big fire.”

“There’s stuff coming off the plane,” he said.

Photos of nine Ukrainian crew members who died in the plane crash in Iran on Wednesday were on display in an impromptu memorial erected at Kiev’s Borispol International Airport.

The crew were among 176 people on board the Boeing 737 jet, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, that came down shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s international airport.

Bouquets of flowers and rows of candles were laid out to commemorate the victims of the crash.

It’s still too early in the investigation into the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane crash to speculate about what went wrong, but flight data openly available online could provide some insight.

The Boeing 737-800 climbed to an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet before the aircraft’s data suddenly disappeared, per FlightRadar 24.

According to former FAA chief of staff Michael Goldfarb, that is “very unusual” and suggests a “catastrophic” incident, as opposed to engine failure.

An airliner should be able to keep flying even if one engine fails, which means pilots normally have time to communicate and recover the aircraft.

“When the data is lost at 8,000 feet suddenly that implies something catastrophic happened to that airplane and they could no longer communicate with the ground control,” Goldfarb told CNN.

There is no indication at this stage of what may have caused a catastrophic incident on board the plane, and all options are still on the table.

Goldfarb said an “uncontained” engine failure – which would create the type of large fire ball reported by witnesses – could be to blame, but it was too early to tell. An uncontained engine failure, in which pieces of the engine break apart, releases shrapnel that can destroy the plane.

“Under terrorism, of course, any type of explosive device would obviously cause catastrophic loss of the hull,” Goldfarb added.

Alan Diehl, a former accident investigator for the US National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Air Force, said that that engine failure would naturally be one of the main focuses of any investigation into the crash, considering the aircraft lost contact just minutes after takeoff.

“That’s the second-most dangerous phase of flight, the most dangerous being the approach of landing, statistically speaking. That’s when the engines are under maximum stress.”

He said investigators always looks at four main causes in a crash – mechanical, human, environment and lastly hostile actions. “All of those are certainly on the table.”

Three Britons are known to have died in the crash. One of them, Saeed Tahmasebi Khademasadi, 35, was a PhD student at Imperial College London, while also working as an engineer for Laing O’Rourke.

In a statement released to CNN, Imperial College described Khademasadi as a “generous colleague,” “close friend,” and “brilliant engineer with a bright future.”

Sam Zokaei, who was holiday in Iran, also died in the crash. The British passport holder was a reservoir engineer for BP, based at the company’s site in Sunbury-on-Thames, west of London.

A spokesman for BP told CNN: “With the deepest regret, we can confirm that one of our colleagues at BP, Sam Zokaei, was a passenger on the Ukrainian International Airlines plane that crashed in Iran this morning, reportedly with no survivors.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss of our friend and colleague and all of our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

A Ukrainian airplane carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Tehran's main airport, killing all onboard. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Related article Passengers onboard crashed plane in Iran hailed from around the world

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday shared his condolences for the Iranians killed in the Ukrainian International Airlines crash, including a group of students, and a stampede at the funeral for Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who died in a US drone strike last week.

The tragic crash of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran could spell more problems for Boeing.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, is not the 737 Max, which has received so much attention since two fatal crashes caused the grounding of the jet worldwide in March of 2018. All those planes remain grounded.

But the 800 version of the jet, also known as a 737 Next Generation or NG, has had its own problems. Following a fatal incident on a Southwest Airlines plane in April 2018, investigators recommended that Boeing modify the model’s engines to prevent a repeat accident.

On Wednesday, Boeing’s (BA) stock was down 1% in premarket trading, though shares recovered some of their earlier losses.

Read more about Boeing’s mounting troubles:

Rescue teams work amidst debris after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran early in the morning on January 8, 2020, killing everyone on board. - The Boeing 737 had left Tehran's international airport bound for Kiev, semi-official news agency ISNA said, adding that 10 ambulances were sent to the crash site. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Boeing faces more trouble after crash of a Ukrainian 737 jet in Iran

Investigators were scrambling Wednesday to determine the cause of a crash that killed all 176 people on board a plane that came down shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s international airport.

The Boeing 737 jet, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, took off early on Wednesday en route to the Ukrainian capital Kiev and disappeared from radar minutes later.

Eighty-two Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians died in the crash, which took place between the cities of Parand and Shahriar, according to a tweet from Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko.

There were also 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals among the victims, he said.

Swedish Prime minister Stefan Lofven, right, attends a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told a press conference Wednesday that a “crisis organisation at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been activated and they are working intensely to clarify how many Swedes have died.”

He added that “Swedes have died in this crash and my thoughts go to the deceased, their families and anyone who has lost a friend.”

“It has not yet been confirmed how many Swedes have died,” he said. “It is important a proper investigation is done to find out the cause of this plane crash.”

This comes after Ukraine International Airlines said 10 Swedes were among the victims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pictured at Boryspil Airport near in Kyiv, Ukraine, on December 29.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Facebook that his government is sending a team of experts and security officials to Iran Wednesday evening to investigate the plane crash near Tehran. 

“Tonight our plane with a team of experts is going to Iran,” Zelensky wrote. “All of them will be involved in the investigation, identification and repatriation of the bodies of Ukrainians killed in the plane crash.”

The team includes, among others, representatives of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Foreign Ministry, and Security Service of Ukraine. 

Added Zelensky: “I’m in constant consultations with our foreign partners. Our priority is to establish the truth and those responsible for this terrible catastrophe.”

Emergency crews inspect the scene of the plane crash.

This morning’s plane crash on the outskirts of Tehran has thrown up more questions than answers, especially over the circumstances surrounding the disaster.

The flight took off from Tehran International Airport at 6.12 a.m. on Wednesday local time and lost contact just two minutes later, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.

Why did the plane crash?

There have been conflicting reasons given for the tragedy, and Ukrainian authorities have signaled that an answer will only be provided after a full investigation has been made.

This comes after Iranian state news initially said the crash was caused by engine difficulties. But Ukrainian authorities have said they are looking at a range of possibilities.

Is it linked to Boeing ongoing technical problems?

The plane is a Boeing 737-800, a predecessor to the company’s 737 Max, which has been grounded since March after its involvement in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

It could add to the crisis Boeing has been grappling with over the different jet, but there has been no indication yet that this is a manufacturing issue.

What will happen to the black box?

Under international rules, the investigation into an air crash is held by the state of occurrence – in this case Iran.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Authority head, Ali Abedzadeh, said they will not hand the flight data recorders to Boeing or the United States.

It is unclear whether this is because Iran is leading the investigation, and has the capacity to analyse recorders within its borders, or whether it’s over ongoing animosity between the two nations following the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.

Mehdi Eshaghian, 24, is one of the victims of the Ukrainian Airlines Boeing 737 crash.

A friend of Mehdi Eshaghian, 24, one of the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines crash, told CNN that Eshaghian was returning to a “happy life” in Canada on the flight that crashed outside Tehran.

“Unfortunately this is true. We are all sad. I was crying from the morning,” Ali Mazaheri, who lives in Ishafan, Iran, said.

Mazaheri, who has known Eshaghian since the second year of high school, said his friend had returned to Iran “to meet his family and get his degree from university. I met him twice while he was here. And he was going back to his happy life. But…”

Mazaheri said Eshaghian did his BA at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology and then moved to Canada in September 2018 for a master’s degree at McMaster Automotive Resource Centre in Hamilton, Ontario.

“He then changed his program to [a] PhD on his teacher’s advice,” Mazaheri said.

“He was happy in Canada. And he was sad about situation here in Iran,” he said of Eshaghian, whose name is on the official Ukraine International Airlines victims list.

A file photo of a Ukraine International Airlines plane.

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) was founded in 1992 as the national flag carrier, one year after Ukraine got independence from Moscow.

According to its website, the airline operates 42 aircraft, connects Ukraine to 38 countries, and its base hub is Kiev’s Boryspil International Airport.

This is the first crash involving one of the carrier’s planes.

The airline says it is the first operator in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – an intergovernmental organization of nine post-Soviet republics – to be awarded the IOSA, an Operational Safety Audit from the International Air Transport Association.

“This official IOSA Operator status proves that our operational and safety standards are fully in line with international requirements,” it writes.

Earlier, a UIA spokesperson told reporters the Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft that crashed on Wednesday was built four years ago and “delivered directly to the airline from the manufacturer.”

A man takes a photo of the arrivals board at Borispil International Airport outside Kiev, Ukraine, showing the cancelled fight from Tehran after it crashed on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk said in a Facebook post that the causes of Wednesday’s crash, which killed 176 people soon after takeoff from Tehran, will be “properly investigated and made public after the investigation.”

Until they are established, the country’s State Aviation Service (SAS) has suspended all Ukrainian airline flights over Iran’s airspace starting midnight January 9, Honcharuk added.

He said a working group will be sent to Iran to assist in the investigation. This will include five personnel from the National Bureau for Investigation of Aviation and Passenger Aircraft Incidents, two people from SAS and three personnel from Ukraine International Airlines.

The PM added that psychologists and medical staff are working with families of the deceased at Kiev’s Boryspil International Airport.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs responded to the news of the Ukraine International Airlines crash by tweeting, “Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims.”

Francois-Philippe Champagne added that he has been in touch with the Ukrainian government following the crash in Iran on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said earlier that among the 176 victims of the crash, 63 people were Canadian citizens.