(Dan Tri) – Iranian media reported that the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi may have had technical problems before the crash.
Rescue team works after the helicopter crash carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaqan (Photo: Reuters).
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash on May 19.
Iran’s IRNA news agency reported on May 20 that the helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed `due to technical problems`.
On the same day, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that, by imposing sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry, the US was responsible for the accident.
According to some Iran observers, decades of international sanctions have weakened Iran’s aircraft fleet and this may have been the cause of the tragedy on May 19.
Iran has been subject to strict international sanctions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Decades of US sanctions have prevented Iran from buying new Western aircraft and spare parts.
Sanam Vakil, a Middle East expert at Chatham House, a London-based research group, said Iran’s aviation industry has long suffered from sanctions.
`Iran has seen a lot of aviation incidents, not only helicopters but also plane crashes, and I think this is definitely related to sanctions,` Ms. Vakil said.
Ms. Vakil said that although she did not have detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the May 19 accident, published information showed that two of Iran’s top leaders, including President
Iranian state media showed images showing that the helicopter that crashed was a Bell 212. This helicopter was originally developed for the Canadian military in the 1960s, according to Reuters news agency.
Iranian authorities have tried to increase domestic production and provide suitable aircraft parts to cope with sanctions.
Vadim Bazykin, a Russian helicopter pilot, said helicopters are vehicles that operate in all weather conditions.
`Mountainous areas have their own characteristics, with mountain slopes, steep slopes, and bumpy places. An experienced pilot who has flown in the mountains knows this well and he needs to prepare in advance for every situation,`
Bazykin said he used to participate in transporting high-ranking Russian officials and always chose experienced pilots to handle flights in bad weather conditions.
Experts added that when entering an area with dense fog, helicopter pilots carrying President Raisi were forced to calculate a safe altitude.
`The fog is usually 300-500m thick. The pilots should have checked carefully to see if there was a chance to land, otherwise they should have turned around. There was no other choice,` the expert emphasized.
Referring to possible technical errors on the US-made Bell-212 helicopter, Mr. Bazykin emphasized that security is the top priority when it comes to presidential vehicles.
He added that while the presidential helicopter is a `very reliable` vehicle, it is outdated.