- A plane carrying 176 people crashed minutes after takeoff in Iran on January 8, killing everyone on board.
- Multiple news outlets on Thursday, citing US intelligence officials, reported that an Iranian surface-to-air missile system had likely shot down the flight by accident.
- Iran released a statement late Friday claiming responsibility for downing the plane, citing "human error." It said that the plane flew close to a sensitive military site and was mistaken for a threat.
- Ukraine's embassy in Tehran appeared to delete an earlier statement that totally dismissed the idea of terrorism or a rocket attack, replacing it with one that says the cause is unknown and being investigated.
- The Ukraine International Airlines plane was three years old and had recently been tested.
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A Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed in Iran early Wednesday morning, killing all 176 people on board in what US intelligence sources said Thursday was likely due to an Iranian missile.
Multiple reports published Thursday cited unnamed US officials who said the incident was most likely an accident, since anti-aircraft systems were in place at the time of the crash. The Pentagon did not confirm the reports to Insider.
The officials told CBS News they were confident Iran shot down the flight, because US intelligence sources detected blips on anti-aircraft radars immediately before Flight 752 exploded.
Iran released a statement late Friday claiming responsibility for downing the plane, blaming "human error." It said that the plane flew close to a sensitive military site and was mistaken for a threat.
"In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit," the Iranian statement said.
Investigations into the crash are still ongoing.
People of seven nationalities were killed in the crash, in an incident that could pile further scrutiny on its manufacturer, Boeing, which is already dealing with the fallout from two fatal crashes by a different plane model.
This is what we know so far.
The plane appeared to burst into flames and crashed less than 10 minutes after takeoff
A Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 NG took off from Iran's Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport at 6.12 a.m. local time Wednesday, according to flight-tracking site FlightRadar24.
Flight PS 752 was bound for Kiev, Ukraine, but lost contact two minutes after taking off, FlightRadar24 recorded.
Nine crew members and 167 passengers were on board.
This was the flight path:
A video, shared by state-run media outlet the Iranian Students' News Agency, appears to show the plane on fire in the air before hitting the ground and filling the sky with flames. The video's content and connection to this crash has not yet been confirmed.
نخستین ویدئو از سقوط هواپیمای اوکراینی اطراف شهریار pic.twitter.com/M3bZiLLryQ
— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) January 8, 2020
Debris and engine parts ended up strewn across a field about six miles (10 kilometers) from the airport, Reuters reported. Reuters quoted the head of Iran's emergency services, Pirhossein Koulivand, as saying that the flames were "so heavy" that 22 ambulances, four bus ambulances, and a helicopter could not "do any rescue."
The time of the crash is not yet known, but the short distance between the plane and the airport shows that it was just minutes after takeoff.
Investigators will now look into the cause of the crash.
US intelligence officials increasingly believe Iran shot down the plan accidentally
Immediately after the crash, both Ukrainian and Iranian authorities said in the hours after the crash that it had been caused by technical problems.
Ukraine's embassy in Tehran initially dismissed the idea of terrorism or a rocket attack, The Independent reported, blaming an engine failure instead. But that statement has since been replaced by one that says the cause is unknown and being investigated.
Reuters reported that the embassy said the earlier statement was based on preliminary information but was not official, and that Iranian authorities had asked the embassy to remove it.
Qassem Biniaz, an official at the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, told government news agency IRNA that an engine caught fire and the pilot was unable to regain control, The New York Times reported.
But by Thursday, American officials had reached a "high level of confidence" that the plane was accidentally shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system that was likely active.
Iranian officials initially pushed back on the reports, saying Thursday that it would be "scientifically impossible" for Iran's missile to have caused the crash, noting that other planes were flying through Iran at similar altitudes and weren't hit.
However, Iran released a statement late Friday claiming responsibility for the attack, blaming "human error." It said that the plane flew close to a sensitive military site and was mistaken for a threat.
"In such a condition, because of human error and in a unintentional way, the flight was hit," the Iranian statement said.
Ukraine International Airlines said the plane was new and recently checked.
It said in a statement that the plane was built in 2016 and had been delivered to the airline directly from Boeing. It said that the last scheduled maintenance of the plane had taken place just two days before the crash. The airline also said that its crew was experienced.
The airline has never had a fatal crash before.
The victims came from 7 counties, with most from Iran and Canada
Ukraine's foreign minister, Vadim Prystaiko, said the victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians.
Prystaiko also said there were 11 Swedish citizens, four Afghan citizens, three UK citizens, and three German citizens on the plane.
Photos from the crash site show passenger belongings, including clothes and books, as well as body bags.
Ukraine International Airlines posted the full passenger list on its website Wednesday.
Canada's foreign minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne, said he had been in touch with Ukraine's government.
He said: "Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims ... We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves."
Boeing might also face more scrutiny as it still deals with the aftermath of two fatal crashes by its 737 Max planes, which killed 346 people. The Max planes use different software from the 737 plane that crashed in Iran.
Boeing said in a statement early on Wednesday: "We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information."
It said later on Wednesday: "This is a tragic event and our heartfelt thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed."
- Read more:
- The Ukrainian flight that crashed in Iran was shot down by a missile, according to US satellite intelligence
- The Ukrainian Boeing 737 plane that crashed over Iran was only 3 years old and underwent maintenance checks 2 days ago
- These are the nationalities of the 176 people killed in the Ukraine International Airlines crash in Iran
- The history of Ukraine International Airlines, the 28-year-old carrier that just had its first deadly crash in the Iran disaster that killed 176 people
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