The Iranian president’s helicopter was 30 years old. And it was not adapted to such flights. “They asked for it”

The Bell 212 helicopter flown by the President of Iran was produced exactly 30 years ago, in 1994. There is room for six people on board. The certification allowed it to be flown only according to visual flight rules (VFR,). Meanwhile, the disaster occurred in the fog. However, there were more technical problems – according to information provided by STRATCOM, a branch of the Pakistani think tank Stategic Forum, which deals with white intelligence.

The Iranian president’s helicopter was old. And not suitable for low-visibility flights

Information obtained by STRATCOM shows that spare parts for the Bell 12 helicopter were subject to sanctions. In addition, the helicopter did not have enough power to fly through regions with changing terrain, so it was not adapted to fly at high altitudes in the mountains and with a full load. There are no systems on board that would allow flying in conditions of limited visibility. The chances of successful navigation were further reduced by the fact that the helicopter had already flown 10,000 times. hours.

“If the pilot and/or flight dispatcher placed their passengers in an aging and unreliable helicopter without IFR avionics [urządzeń do lotów w słabej widoczności – red] and flew it in IMC conditions [niedostatecznej widoczności – red.], the flight dispatcher, pilots and the entire presidential team were basically asking for a tragedy. Gross negligence. Bordering on unintentional manslaughter,” Stratcom concluded.

The president of Iran is dead. There are five days of mourning in the country

The plane carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahiyan on Monday crashed or made a forced landing near the town of Jolfa. The cause of the accident was most likely thick fog. President Ebrahim Raisi was returning from the ceremony of opening a dam on the border with Azerbaijan.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Chamanei announced five days of national mourning following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Chamanei also announced that, in accordance with the constitution, executive power in the country had been taken over by the former first vice president, Mohhamad Mokhber.