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Navy commander: C130 plane, among safest aircraft worldwide

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 17, IRNA
Iran-C130-Kouchaki
The C130 plane which is among the safest aircraft worldwide, was used for transport of passengers to the maneuver zone in southeastern port city of Chabahar (Sistan- Baluchestan province) due to its high safety standards, the Navy commander said on Saturday.

"The C130 plane had no technical problem," said Commander of the Islamic Republic Army's Navy Force Admiral Sajjad Kouchaki in an interview with IRNA on the sidelines of a memorial service held for the victims of the December 6 plane crash.

Kouchaki said such planes were used for most of flights to military zones both during and after the Sacred Defense (1980-88) due to their high safety standards.

Commenting on the main reason for the C130 plane crash, Kouchaki said one should wait and see the outcome of the investigation launched by a team of 29 experts.

He said that no new information has yet been received on the cause of the incident, and therefore one should wait for completion of the team's probe.

Asked about the fact-finding investigation regarding the plane's lack of any black-box, Kouchaki said that fortunately all the communications between the pilot and the control tower have been recorded and other information on similar incidents in the past will help clarify the cause of the crash.

He assured the public that the outcome of the investigation would soon be publicized.

Such air incidents occur all over the world but there should be efforts to follow up the case in order to minimize its recurrence in the future, said Kouchaki.

A C-130 military plane crashed into a 10-storey high-rise residential building near Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport on December 6 shortly after takeoff, reportedly due to technical failure.

The tragic incident left 108 people dead, including at least 68 journalists and 11 people on the ground at the time of the crash.

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