Iran plane crash kills 168 aboard
15 Jul 2009
An Iranian passenger jet flying 168 people, including passengers and crew, from Tehran to the Armenian capital Yerevan crashed in a field near the city of Qazvin, killing all aboard.
The Russian-built Tupolev 154M jet from the 1980s, an aging aircraft model, which belonged to Iran's Caspian Airlines, is not allowed to fly over western Europe.
The plane crashed 16 minutes after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport, Reza Jafarzadeh, spokesman of Iran's civil aviation authority, told the English-language Press TV.
According to the Iranian News Network, the passengers included Iran's national judo team, and all of them were lost.
The plane that crashed in a rural, farming area with few residents, broke up into very small pieces, making identification difficult, sources said.
Reports also said the Russian pilot of the plane may have been attempting an emergency landing after facing engine problems, shortly after takeoff.