Russian aviation officials are in Iran to investigate yesterday's crash-landing of a Russian-made Tu-154M airliner, the Interstate Aviation Committee said on Monday.
At least 46 of the 157 passengers on board the plane were injured after it caught fire while trying to land in northeastern Iran. The plane is rented by Iran's Taban Air from Russia's Kogalymavia company,
The aircraft was seriously damaged while landing with its tail on fire, and the undercarriage and one of the wings were destroyed.
The Interstate Aviation Committee, a post-Soviet CIS body which issues flight licenses and probes air accidents, will take part in the investigation in Iran representing the producer, in line with the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Iran's state Press TV said on Sunday, citing airline officials, that the incident had occurred due to bad weather conditions. The captain had to make an emergency landing in Mashhad because the condition of a patient on board had dramatically deteriorated.
About a dozen Soviet-made Tupolev planes currently in service in Iran are believed to badly need maintenance and repair work. An Iranian Caspian Airlines TU-154 crashed in northwest Iran last year, killing all 168 people onboard.
MOSCOW, January 25 (RIA Novosti)
