Aseman crash: navigation error or a mechanical flaw?
Two weeks after the crash of an ATR 72 turboprop carrying 66 passengers in a mountainous area in Iran, the black boxes have been recovered. This will hopefully shed some light on what happened on the dramatic flight.
Aseman airlines Flight EP 3704 crashed on February 18 in the Zagros mountain range, close to the peak of Mount Dena (more than 4000 metres high) in dismal weather conditions and heavy fog. It’s not clear why the pilots were flying so close to the top of the mountains, perhaps they had trouble flying only on instruments.
Another contributing factor could be a mechanical problem: Iran only recently was allowed to import airplane parts after the end of the international embargo and the French-Italian build ATR 72 that crashed, had been previously grounded in 2017 for a mechanical overhaul. French and Italian specialists are now in Iran to help with the investigation. After several incidents and accidents in the first decade of this century (especially with Fokker planes), Aseman airlines, the third Iranian airline, has been banned to fly in European airspace.
