A Ukrainian passenger plane carrying aerospace experts has crashed in central Iran, killing 46 people.
Iranian Transport Minister Ahmad Khorram confirmed that all 42 passengers and four crew died when the Antonov An-140 lost contact with Isfahan airport.
By a tragic irony, the Ukrainian aerospace delegation was on its way to test a version of the same plane being manufactured in a joint project in Isfahan.
It went down at about 1930 (1600 GMT) about 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Ardestan in Isfahan province.
Iranian radio said all of the passengers aboard were Ukrainian, though earlier reports said some Russians were among the dead.
The plane had reportedly taken off from an airport in Turkey.
The An-140 is a modern twin-turboprop commuter plane which made its maiden flight in 1999 and has rarely been involved in accidents.
Plane project to go ahead
The managing director of Iran's HESA aircraft-building company said the Ukrainian delegation had been due to attend a test flight ceremony for the Iran 140 on Tuesday.
Iran 140
Production licence sold to Iran in 2000 in a rare coup for Ukraine
80% of parts supplied by Russia
Believed to be one of the world's cheapest medium-range aircraft
Iran expects to produce 12 aircraft a year
Iran is assembling An-140s - renamed the Iran 140 locally - under licence from Ukraine.
The 52-seat commuter plane had its first public test flight in February 2001.
"It was the same model plane that we are developing with Ukraine, but I don't think the crash will affect this project," the Iranian transport minister told Reuters news agency.
Posts: 3,672
By: EGNM - 23rd December 2002 at 22:23
A Ukrainian passenger plane carrying aerospace experts has crashed in central Iran, killing 46 people.
Iranian Transport Minister Ahmad Khorram confirmed that all 42 passengers and four crew died when the Antonov An-140 lost contact with Isfahan airport.
By a tragic irony, the Ukrainian aerospace delegation was on its way to test a version of the same plane being manufactured in a joint project in Isfahan.
It went down at about 1930 (1600 GMT) about 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Ardestan in Isfahan province.
Iranian radio said all of the passengers aboard were Ukrainian, though earlier reports said some Russians were among the dead.
The plane had reportedly taken off from an airport in Turkey.
The An-140 is a modern twin-turboprop commuter plane which made its maiden flight in 1999 and has rarely been involved in accidents.
Plane project to go ahead
The managing director of Iran's HESA aircraft-building company said the Ukrainian delegation had been due to attend a test flight ceremony for the Iran 140 on Tuesday.
Iran 140
Production licence sold to Iran in 2000 in a rare coup for Ukraine
80% of parts supplied by Russia
Believed to be one of the world's cheapest medium-range aircraft
Iran expects to produce 12 aircraft a year
Iran is assembling An-140s - renamed the Iran 140 locally - under licence from Ukraine.
The 52-seat commuter plane had its first public test flight in February 2001.
"It was the same model plane that we are developing with Ukraine, but I don't think the crash will affect this project," the Iranian transport minister told Reuters news agency.