What May Have Caused Raisi’s Copter Crash?

Analytics 10:04 21.05.2024

Iranian President Raisi’s helicopter was a US-made Bell-212, an outdated but very reliable vehicle most likely fitted with new engines, Vadim Bazykin, an honored Russian helicopter test pilot, Ednews informs that he told this to Sputnik.

President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian of Iran died in a helicopter crash in the Islamic Republic’s East Azerbaijan province on Sunday. The Iranian president’s helicopter made a "hard landing" after it got into trouble in heavy fog near the city of Jolfa, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the capital Tehran.

Helicopters are all-weather vehicles, Vadim Bazykin, a veteran Russian helicopter test pilot, said in an interview with Sputnik.

“A helicopter’s weakest point is, unfortunately, the crew because not many pilots are able to fly in bad weather,” Bazykin said, adding that an experienced crew should know the ABC of flying over mountainous terrain.
"The mountainous area has its own characteristics. First and foremost, there is a slope that is warmed up, and there is a shady slope, where serious bumpiness is in place. Namely, an experienced pilot who has flown in the mountains knows all this very well, and he should foresee everything," the expert noted.

Bazykin said that he was once involved in transporting Russian top-rank officials and that he always picked mature pilots "who know how to say no" to continuing a flight amid bad weather. "Pilots are like actors, and they think they are cool, thinking to themselves that if two helicopters earlier flew safely, they can fly so too," the expert said, referring to Raisi’s helicopter and the accompanying choppers.

He also referenced the 2010 Smolensk plane crash, which killed then-Polish President Lech Kaczynski and all 96 people on board, which was caused by pilot’s error. At the time, the Kaczynski pilots unsuccessfully tried to land the plane in thick fog. "Half an hour before, a certain aircraft managed to land so the pilot thought he could also land [Kaczynski's] plane but failed to do so. This is psychology," Bazykin said.

When entering an area with dense fog, the Raisi copter’s pilots were obliged to calculate a safe height, the expert went on to say. According to him, the chopper seems to have flown below the permissible height.
"The fog is usually only 300-500 meters thick. The pilots should have checked meticulously if there was any chance to land and if not – they should have flown back. There should be no other options," the expert underscored.

Touching upon a possible technical defect of Raisi’s US-made Bell-212 helicopter, Bazykin emphasized that security comes first when it comes to presidential vehicles.

He added that even though the presidential helicopter was "a very reliable" yet outdated vehicle, it was almost certainly equipped with new engines because of security considerations.

"So there is no need to blame technical problems that caused the crash of Raisi’s vehicle," the expert concluded.

 

IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

US citizens in Qatar advised to stay home until further notice
17:06 23.06.2025
NATO summit to announce 40B euros in support for Ukraine
17:03 23.06.2025
Three tankers divert from Strait of Hormuz amid closure fears
16:59 23.06.2025
Erdogan: Türkiye working actively to prevent attacks on Iran from escalating into catastrophe
16:37 23.06.2025
Putin: Russia is making efforts to help Iran
14:52 23.06.2025
Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Company Finances Projects Worth $360 Million
15:50 21.06.2025
Special closed OIC Foreign Ministers meeting to be held in Istanbul at Iran's request
15:45 21.06.2025
Over 740 Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan
15:37 21.06.2025
Mirzoyan, Kallas discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization
15:30 21.06.2025
Turkish President Erdogan says region won't withstand new war
15:27 21.06.2025
Turkish FM Fidan Urges Global Action to End Sudan Conflict, Calls for Support to Syria and Turkish Cypriots
15:15 21.06.2025
Israel Strikes Military Facility in Shiraz: Details of the Operation
15:02 21.06.2025
Massive Israeli Air Strikes Hit Missile Sites in Iran's Tabriz and Kermanshah
15:39 20.06.2025
Pashinyan arrives in Türkiye on working visit
14:56 20.06.2025
Erdogan, Merz mull Israel-Iran conflict in phone call
14:07 20.06.2025
Mher Grigoryan: Azerbaijan, Armenia continue to work within border delimitation
13:03 20.06.2025
Araghchi: UN Security Council Must Respond to Israeli Attack on Khondab Nuclear Facility
11:00 20.06.2025
Belarus Contributing to Development of Azerbaijan's Industry, Says Ambassador
10:59 20.06.2025
Netherlands Embassy in Tel Aviv Damaged During Iran's Missile Strike
13:05 19.06.2025
Azerbaijan and BP Discuss Decarbonization and Energy Projects Amid Strengthening Strategic Partnership
13:00 19.06.2025
Delegates of 65th PABSEC General Assembly Begin Official Visit to Karabakh
11:54 19.06.2025
UK, German, and French Foreign Ministers to Hold High-Level Talks with Iran on June 20 in Geneva
11:44 19.06.2025
Ambassador: Azerbaijan Ready to Cooperate with Mexico in Energy Transition
11:10 19.06.2025
Azerbaijan Showcases Literary Heritage at Beijing International Book Fair
17:00 18.06.2025
Minsk Hosts Public Discussion on Return to Western Azerbaijan
16:55 18.06.2025
German Foreign Minister Urges Iran to Make Concessions, Supports Israel’s Concerns
16:41 18.06.2025
Explosions Rock Eastern Tehran Amid Escalating Israel-Iran Tensions
15:38 18.06.2025
Türkiye’s Strategic Role in the Turkic World Genci Muçaj
15:10 18.06.2025
Khamenei: Iran Will Emerge Victorious in Conflict With Israel
13:51 18.06.2025
Mobilization Against Peace: Armenia's Return to a Radical Past
17:01 17.06.2025
Israel prepares more complex operation against Iran
13:50 17.06.2025
Armenia and India discuss evacuation of Indian students from Iran
12:01 17.06.2025
Navies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan start joint exercises
11:58 17.06.2025
Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency: 1,258 hectares cleared of mines last week
11:53 17.06.2025
More than 600 citizens of 17 countries evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan
11:44 17.06.2025
IEA: Azerbaijan falls short of OPEC+ quota by 0.08 million b/d in May
11:41 17.06.2025
Iran attacks military sites in Tel Aviv, Haifa with 'new weapon' and drones
11:37 17.06.2025
Foreign diplomats briefed on addressing IDP issues in Azerbaijan
11:33 17.06.2025
Israeli-linked hackers claim to have hacked Iran's Bank Sepah
11:29 17.06.2025
Turkic states' investment promotion platform launched
10:53 17.06.2025
Hamısı