2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash

The 2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash occurred on 6 December 2005 (Azar 15, 1384) at 14:10 local time (10:40 UTC) when an Iranian Air Force C-130E military transport aircraft, 5-8519, c/n 4399, crashed into a ten-floor apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.

The aircraft, bound for Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, was carrying 10 crew and 84 passengers, of whom sixty-eight were reportedly journalists en route to watch a series of military exercises off the country's southern coast.

The exact cause of the crash is not yet known, but the pilot reported engine trouble shortly after takeoff. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to make an emergency landing at the city's Mehrabad International Airport, from where the aircraft took off. The aircraft came down in a densely-populated area of Towhid, crashing into an apartment building where many Iranian Air Force personnel reside.

Iranian State media reported a death toll of 128 victims, although some other news agencies reported a toll of 116. All 94 on board the plane were killed.

Casualties

Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that all 94 people on board, including 40 journalists, were killed upon impact. State radio reported at least 34 people were confirmed dead on the ground, putting the official death toll at 128. An Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Mojtaba Mir-Abdolahi, has confirmed that 116 corpses have been recovered from the site.

The Mehr news agency reports 40 journalists on...
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