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Contact Photographer Mohamad Yaghobi-
What: An Iranian Caspian Airlines Russian-made Tupolev passenger jet en route from Tehran (Iran) to Yerevan
Where: near Jannatabad village 75 miles northwest of Tehran
When: July 15 2009, crashed 11:30 am, 16 minutes after takeoff
Who: 153 passengers and 15 crew including eight members of Iran’s youth judo team and two trainers. Another report said simply there were “over 150” aboard.
Why: After the pilot complained of technical problems, witnesses reported that the plane caught on fire while still in the air, then smashed up when it hit the ground.
Update:
The Russian-made plane’s Russian-made black boxes have been found. They are badly burned; however, and may be sent to Russia for assistance in data recovery. There is already a Russian team on the way to help investigate. An Iranian Insurance company promises $58,000 to the families of victims.
The 22-year-old TU-154M has not been produced since 1996. Most of the passengers were Iranian; seven were Armenians or Georgians. One Canadian woman and her son (Nana Antasyam and her son, Edward Khachik ) were reportedly also on board, as well as a pair of Australian siblings who may have had dual citizenship.
Chinese billionaire Lam Kok purchased a French vineyard, and boarded a helicopter with three others, including his son, the former owner who was flying the helicopter, and a translator, to take an aerial tour of the 65-hectare (160-acre) vineyards and surrounding grounds. Lam Kok’s and James Gregoire’s wives had declined to fly.