Cause of Crash in Iran Unclear

Iranian aviation officials Tuesday blamed pilot error for a plane crash that killed European scientists traveling to Iran, then retracted the statement after Ukraine’s government protested.

The Ukrainian-built Antonov-140 aircraft flew into a mountainside while preparing to land Monday at an airport near the city of Esfahan, about 220 miles south of Tehran, killing everyone aboard.

Many of the estimated 46 people killed were Russian and Ukrainian aerospace scientists and executives flying to Iran to watch the first flight of a new plane developed in a joint Ukrainian-Iranian program.

The control tower blamed the crash on pilot error, state-run Tehran radio reported Tuesday.

“The pilot’s carelessness caused the plane to hit a mountain and crash near Ardestan,” the report said, referring to a town near Esfahan.

But aviation officials later backpedaled, telling Iranian media outlets that it was too early to blame pilot error.

“The definite cause of the crash will be announced after experts study” data recordings, Iranian television said.

No reason was given for the retraction, which was issued a few hours after Ukraine’s government denounced the initial version of events.

An official at Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries said the test flight would go ahead.

Ukrainian President Leonid D. Kuchma offered his condolences to the victims’ families.