From the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4594104.stm
<font color=yellow>A military plane crashed into a housing block in December
The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards ground forces and at least 10 other officers have been killed in a plane crash, state media say.
The small Falcon jet came down near Oroumieh, 900 km (560 miles) north-west of the capital, Tehran.
State TV said it was attempting an emergency landing.
A military transport plane crashed in Tehran last month, killing 128 people. It came down in a residential district, hitting a 10-storey apartment building.
It was not immediately clear what caused the latest crash, which happened at around 0930 (0600GMT) near the Turkish border.
Revolutionary Guards' spokesman, Gen Masoud Jazayeri, blamed a combination of bad weather and engine failure as the plane attempted to make an emergency landing.
"It crashed near the airport due to bad weather, lack of visibility and failure in both engines," he told the television.
War veteran
On board was Ahmed Kazemi, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards ground forces, Iranian media said.
The Fars news agency, which has close links to the Revolutionary Guards, said a number of other top commanders, including an intelligence chief, were also on board.
Fars said 15 people were on the flight, and 13 had died with two missing. The Iranian news agency, Irna, said 11 people died in the crash.
The Revolutionary Guards, known locally as the Pasdara, is a parallel military force with its own army, air force and navy.
It was set up to enforce and defend the principles of the 1979 Islamic revolution and answers directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Gen Kazemi, a veteran of the 1980-88 war with Iraq, was recently appointed to his post by the new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, himself a former member of the Revolutionary Guards.
Ageing planes
Irna quoted deputy government spokesman Mohammad Paryab as saying an investigation into the causes of the crash would be carried out.
The military plane that crashed into the residential Tehran neighbourhood a month ago was carrying journalists to the south of the country.
The ageing plane - bought before the 1979 Revolution - experienced technical problems and a first pilot refused to fly it, according to reports.
An inquiry into allegations of negligence has been carried out but not yet made public.
Because of US sanctions, Iran cannot buy spare parts of its ageing military and civilian fleet - something that puts lives in danger as air crashes become increasingly frequent, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.</font id=yellow>
Might I suggest they start looking at 'Israeli F16' as the cause of the crash...
You're born, you keep your head down and you die. If you're lucky...
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
