Ukranian Boeing 737-800 flight from Imam Khomeini international was bound for the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and it took off after a delay of one hour. Most of the passengers were on their way to Kyiv and subsequently to other destinations. There was a mix of different nationalities in the flight and it crashed shortly after takeoff leaving no survivors. Iran’s Red Crescent confirms this. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko said, “We express our condolences. The Ukrainian authorities continue to investigate.”

The Guardian quotes an official of civil aviation who said the flight went down within a few minutes after takeoff and there was no message from the pilot about any emergency.

Obviously, the authorities will carry out an investigation to ascertain the reasons for the tragedy that killed everyone on board. There was a delay in its takeoff and it failed to reach an altitude of above 8,000 feet. That is the feedback from flight-tracking websites.

Mystery surrounds the crash

The BBC says Iran had launched missiles targeting U.S.troops in a base in Iraq "hours before" the tragedy to the Ukraine Airlines Boeing. Prima facie, there is no indication to link the crash with the missile strikes. Officials of both Ukraine and Iran suspected a technical issue that led to the tragedy.

There have been instances of deadly accidents related to Boeing 737-800 aircraft in the past.

The Guardian mentions about a video that apparently showed the aircraft in flames as it dropped to the ground. The pilot apparently avoided what could have been a major disaster. He managed to direct the aircraft towards a soccer field instead of a residential area.

That is what a witness revealed. The aircraft crashed near the field and in a water canal. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was on a visit to Oman and he cut it short. He offered condolences to the bereaved.

Recent scheduled maintenance

According to the BBC, the Boeing 737-800 belonging to Ukraine International Airlines was manufactured in 2016 and underwent its last scheduled maintenance on Monday.

It was carrying 176 people and was going to Kyiv. Most of the passengers were from Iran and Canada. The reason for a large number of Canadians being on board was probably the airline's offer of relatively inexpensive flights via Kyiv to Toronto.

Debris was scattered over a large area and the "Ukrainian embassy in Iran initially ruled out an act of terror," The Guardian noted. They later removed the statement and clarified that there would not be any comments before an inquiry was complete. The airline has suspended flights to Tehran indefinitely. President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned against "speculation or unchecked theories regarding the catastrophe." He suggested people wait until official reports are ready.
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