Hamadan, Iran: An Iranian military aircraft crashed in Hamadan province during a night training mission, killing one of the two pilots on board.
The Iranian army said Thursday evening that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force aircraft went down in western Iran while conducting a routine nighttime exercise. One pilot was killed in the incident, while the second pilot survived. Authorities did not immediately disclose the condition of the surviving pilot.
The Tehran Times named the pilot killed in the incident as Captain Mehdi Firouzmand.
The air force’s public relations office confirmed that the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Officials did not provide details about its mission profile, or the sequence of events leading to the accident.
According to a report by Al Arabiya English, aviation expert Babak Taghvaee said the aircraft belonged to the 31st Tactical Fighter Squadron and sustained damage during the mission. He stated that despite the damage, the pilots were able to return the aircraft to the Third Tactical Air Base in Hamadan.
Taghvaee added that the landing gear failed to fully deploy during the emergency landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway after touchdown. The statement did not clarify whether the fatality occurred during the landing sequence or after the aircraft left the runway.
No official comment was issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force regarding speculation that the aircraft may have been struck by fire.
Authorities have not announced a timeline for the completion of the investigation. Further technical findings are expected once the review of flight data, maintenance records, and operational procedures is completed.
