2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
On 19 February 2003, an Ilyushin Il-76 crashed in mountainous terrain near Kerman in Iran. The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aircraft, registration 15–2280, was flying from Zahedan to Kerman when it crashed 35 kilometres (22 mi; 19 nmi) southeast of Kerman. The aircraft was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a special force that is independent from the Iranian Army, on an unknown mission.
An Ilyushin Il-76 similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 February 2003 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error during descent in bad weather |
| Site | 35 km (22 mi; 19 nmi) SE of Kerman Airport, Kerman, Iran |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-76MD |
| Operator | Aerospace Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution |
| Registration | 15-2280 |
| Flight origin | Zahedan Airport, Zahedan, Iran |
| Destination | Kerman Airport, Kerman, Iran |
| Occupants | 275 |
| Passengers | 257 |
| Crew | 18 |
| Fatalities | 275 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Strong winds were reported in the region of the crash when the aircraft disappeared from radar; around the same time, villagers in the area described hearing a loud explosion. There were no survivors among the 275 occupants on board the aircraft. As of March 2024 the crash remains the second deadliest on Iranian soil (behind Iran Air Flight 655) and the deadliest crash of an Il-76.