Iran officials reveal Ukrainian plane had turned back after detecting problem

Iranian investigators reporting the first findings of the Ukrainian plane crash revealed that the pilot had turned back the plane after detecting a problem. On Wednesday, the airline crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran resulting in the loss of 176 lives.

Headed back at the moment

The plane was initially headed west to leave the airport zone but then turned right following a glitch and was headed back to the airport at the moment of the crash, the Iranian civil aviation organisation wrote on its website late on Wednesday. The organisation further said that the plane disappeared from radar screens the moment it reached 8,000 feet though the pilot sent no radio message about the unusual circumstances. The Iranian organisation said, 

“According to eyewitnesses, a fire was seen on board the plane which grew in intensity."

On Thursday, Iranian investigators said that the crew members of the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed the previous day never made a radio call for help and were trying to turn back to the airport when the plane went down. Iran’s civil aviation authority made the comments in a preliminary crash report a day after the crash of the Ukrainian jetliner that killed all 176 people on board. The investigators also said that the plane was engulfed in the fire before it crashed. They said the crash caused a massive explosion when the plane hit the ground, likely because the aircraft had been fully loaded with fuel for the flight to Kyiv, Ukraine.

Read: Ukraine President's Tribute To Crash Victims

Read: Ukraine President Calls For An End To Speculation Over Tehran Plane Crash

The report also confirmed that both of the so-called “black boxes” that contain data and cockpit communications from the plane had been recovered, though they had damaged and some parts of their memory were lost. It also said that investigators have initially ruled out laser or electromagnetic interference for causing the crash. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, said crash investigators from his country had arrived in Iran to assist in the probe. He also said he planned to call Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about the crash and the investigation.

Read: Ukraine PM Says Envoys Working With Iran On Plane Crash

Read: Iran Investigators Say Ukrainian Plane Never Called For Help