Helicopter in Iranian president's convoy crashes, 19 May '24

[dotr]

May 19 '24

Helicopter in Iranian president's convoy crashes - state media

www.bbc.com

''A helicopter in a convoy carrying the Iranian president has been involved in an accident, state media is reporting.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/helicopter-iranian-presidents-convoy-accident-says-strate-tv-2024-05-19/

''The Iranian official news agency IRNA said the helicopter involved in the incident had been carrying Raisi as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and local officials.
The semi-official Fars news agency called on Iranians to pray for Raisi following the reports.
It is currently unclear whether Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was on board the helicopter that state media say experienced a hard landing.''

 

[dotr]

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is involved in helicopter 'incident'

Rescuers in Iran are trying to reach a helicopter involved in 'an incident' while traveling with an entourage including President Ebrahim Raisi.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi has been involved in a helicopter crash hours after posing for pictures with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and rescuers are frantically trying to reach the site.
The aircraft was traveling in Iran's East Azerbaijan province near Jolfa, around 375 miles northwest of Tehran, when it suffered a 'hard landing', according to Iranian state television.

Rescuers were attempting to reach the site, but had been hampered by the poor weather conditions in the area. There had been heavy rain and fog reported with some wind.''

It comes hours after he was posing for pictures with Azerbaijan 's President Ilham Aliyev (right)
''Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country's judiciary.

He is viewed as a protégé of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role.''

 

[Howl]

Thanks for posting this.
Is "hard landing" a euphemism for crash?
If Iranian President Raisi were uninjured, the Iranian state news media would be blasting out that information, so my sense is that he's very not OK.
The question that immediately came to mind: Was this really an accident? Is there a coup underway?
The response on Twitter to this news was hopeful that he is dead. His record of human rights abuse is dismal. He's known as The Butcher of Tehran for overseeing the execution of 5,000 prisoners.
Yashar Ali on Twitter: "The Islamic Republic’s President Ebrahim Raisi helped to oversee the mass execution of political prisoners in the late 1980s after Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering it."

 

[whitelilac]

He was responsible for Mahsa Amini's death, and for the attacks and deaths of countless other women who protested during the aftermath.
One of those women who protested is/was my neighbor's cousin, who has not been heard from since her arrest.
If this man is dead, he will surely discover that "Paradise" has rejected him.

 

[vls12345]

CNN live updates referring to it as a crash. I am assuming "hard landing" is an attempt to control the media narrative both within and outside of Iran.

An update from about 15 to 20 minutes ago:

"The exact site where Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crashed Sunday has still not been located, military officials involved in the rescue operation said.

"The helicopters of the 6th combat base of Tabriz Air Force arrived in the Varzeqan area according to the order to carry out relief operations," the Commander of Iran's 6th Air Force Base said Sunday. "These helicopters, along with the rescue team, were sent to the helicopter accident area of the president's convoy from the early hours. Unfortunately, the operation failed due to unfavorable weather conditions."

Officials have said rescuers are facing dense fog and extreme cold as the night grows later in Iran. It's currently just before 9:30 p.m. local time.

The European Union is activating the Copernicus EMS satellite mapping service in response to the crash, following an "Iranian request for assistance," European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said in a post on X."

Live updates: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi in helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan Province; Hamas voices concern

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed while he was visiting a northern region in the country Sunday, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

 

[whitelilac]

Crashed helicopter found by search teams: State television​

That’s according to the Reuters news agency, who quoted state television.
There are no details as to the conditions of President Raisi and the other officials on board.

Iran president, foreign minister on missing helicopter after ‘hard landing’

Search operations under way to try and find the helicopter in mountainous East Azerbaijan province.

www.aljazeera.com

also :

Search team lead remains hopeful as contact was made with helicopter​

One of the officials on Raisi’s helicopter and a member of the flight crew made contact after the helicopter suffered the incident, according to Mohsen Mansouri, the deputy to the president for executive affairs.
“This was one of the hopeful points in this. This shows that the severity of the incident was not very high because two of the people who were on the flight contacted our people on several instances,” the official, who is leading the search at the site, told state television.

 

[whitelilac]

well,

Red Crescent denies reports helicopter found​

An official with the Iranian Red Crescent who is in the area where search operations are ongoing says “local media” were behind unconfirmed reports that the helicopter had been found.
A state television reporter in the area also quoted Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian as saying there have been no updates.
But the reporter said search and rescue teams are believed to be within two kilometres of an area where there is a possibility of the helicopter being found.

Iran president, foreign minister on missing helicopter after ‘hard landing’

Search operations under way to try and find the helicopter in mountainous East Azerbaijan province.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[dotr]

Ebrahim Raisi: what we know so far about Iranian president’s helicopter crash

Raisi and the foreign minister are missing after their aircraft came down in mountain terrain near border with Azerbaijan in heavy fog

www.theguardian.com

• ''The incident, which involved one helicopter in a convoy of three, was described by Iranian state television as an accident.
• An unnamed Iranian official told Reuters that the lives of the president and his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were “at risk” after a “crash” as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog.
• Three rescue workers searching for the crashed helicopter were reported missing by the Red Crescent but were later accounted for. A spokesperson said the search and rescue operation will slow down as the weather is expected to get “severely cold” soon with more rain forecast.
• Raisi was travelling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV described the area of the helicopter incident as being near Jolfa, a city on the border with Azerbaijan.''

 

[vls12345]

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is involved in helicopter 'incident' Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is involved in helicopter 'incident'

"There have been conflicting reports among Iranian state media about whether the helicopter has been found following a frantic search mission.

The president is still missing hours after the crash and there is no confirmation they are close to finding Raisi. It has led to fears that his death could spark a power vacuum in Iran."

 

[dotr]

Who Would Benefit From Ebrahim Raisi’s Death?

If the Iranian president turns out to have lost his life in a helicopter crash, it will set off a fierce scramble for power.

www.theatlantic.com

''Accidents happen everywhere, but not all accidents are equal. Many hours after initial news broke about an “incident” involving a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s state media has still not confirmed whether he is dead or alive. Various state outlets have published contradictory news—Was Raisi seen on video link after the accident? Was he not? Was the National Security Council meeting? Was it not?—signaling chaos and panic. A source in Tehran close to the presidency told me that Raisi has been confirmed dead, and that the authorities are looking for a way to report the news without causing mayhem. I have not been able to independently confirm this.''

 

[Simply Southern]

I don't believe they've located the helicopter.
A plane from Turkey, possible night vision capabilities.

 

[whitelilac]

Since it's reported that they have had signals from the helicopter and from two crew members' cell phones, wouldn't one of those crew members make contact if he was conscious and alive?

 

[whitelilac]

^ Actually
"Iranian officials say they have located the exact crash site and are sending teams there. Earlier, authorities managed to make contact with two people who had been aboard the aircraft, according to a government spokesperson."
bbm

Live updates: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi in helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan Province; Hamas voices concern

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed while he was visiting a northern region in the country Sunday, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

Meaning actual verbal contact?
Is that contact ongoing? or silent now?

 

[Dotta]

From my country's MSM:

"Extremely difficult action in Iran after the disaster with the president. ​

'Mountains with a capital M.'​

The search for President Ebrahimo Raisi's helicopter is being carried out in extremely difficult terrain.

'It is a very mountainous area and these are mountains with a capital 'M'.

Some peaks are over 2.5 thousand meters high.
All mountains are forested'.
- says president of the Abhaseed Foundation,
in an interview with 'Wirtualna Polska'.

The machine was supposed to have a 'hard landing'
in northwestern Iran.
An extensive search was launched, which was hampered by weather and terrain.

The action was narrowed down to the Dizmar forests.
'The area where the search is carried out has been under UNESCO protection since 1976, i.e. 73,000 hectares.

There are very few forests left in Iran,
so this reserve is crucial.

It stretches towards Azerbaijan and Armenia,
it is a corridor of life for fauna to move and live.
Nomads still live in these areas today'.

Iranian media point out that this is not the first helicopter accident while transporting Iranian politicians.

In 2013, a helicopter carrying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made an emergency landing.

Last year, a helicopter with Sports Minister Hamid Sajjadi on board crashed.

'Traveling by helicopter is the most effective in Iran.
The distances between cities are huge,
it is dangerous to drive a car, e.g. at night.
A whole lot of goods are transported in trucks,
drivers fall asleep.

The safest method is therefore a helicopter.
And the more such trips, the statistically more frequent accidents'."

Niezwykle trudna akcja w Iranie po katastrofie z prezydentem. "Góry przez duże G"

Poszukiwania śmigłowca prezydenta Ebrahimia Raisiego prowadzone są na niezwykle trudnym terenie. - Jest to teren bardzo górzysty i to takie góry przed duże "G". Niektóre szczyty mają ponad 2,5 tys. metrów.

wiadomosci.wp.pl

 

[airportwoman]

CNN live updates referring to it as a crash. I am assuming "hard landing" is an attempt to control the media narrative both within and outside of Iran.

Of course, the investigators will have to determine if it was an accident, sabotage, terrorism, etc.

 

[whitelilac]

Fog can develop quickly and ‘sneak up’ on pilot: Aviation expert​

Kyle Bailey, an aviation analyst, says pilots who fly presidents are typically skilled and experienced, but the helicopter is a “very complicated machine”.
“The issue is when you’re taking off and the weather is clear, and then you’re in mountainous, rugged, forest-like terrain, there could be fog developing in areas that you don’t expect fog to develop,” Bailey told Al Jazeera.
“And it wouldn’t be on weather forecasts; it wouldn’t be on maps; it wouldn’t be on the radar. Fog could pretty much pop up anywhere very, very quickly, and very much sneak up upon the pilot.”

Iran president, foreign minister on missing helicopter after ‘hard landing’

Search operations under way to try and find the helicopter in mountainous East Azerbaijan province.

www.aljazeera.com

This is similar to what happened with Kobe Bryant's flight.

 

[Cryptic]

Is "hard landing" a euphemism for crash?

Yes.... and no.

The term "hard landing" usually implies that the aircraft was under some control when it, well, "crashed". In contrast, "crashed" usually implies little to no control.

Likewise, "crashed" can mean total destruction of the aircraft. "Hard Landing" implies less destruction and that the aircraft is salvageable- though some hard landings are written off as not being economical to repair.

In the end, "hard landings" often leave at least some survivors. "Crashes" usually do not have many survivors.

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

Associated Press / AP May 19, 2024 online report by Jon Gambrell entitled ‘Helicopter carrying Iran’s hard-line president apparently crashes in foggy, mountainous region’.

The article also refers to a fire in the wilderness suspected to be from the wreckage:

Helicopter carrying Iran's hard-line president apparently crashes in foggy, mountainous region

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials apparently has crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of his country.

apnews.com

 

[vls12345]

"Nine people were on the helicopter that crashed in northwest Iran on Sunday, including three officials, an imam and flight and security team members, Iran's Tasnim news reported.

The IRGC-run media outlet, Sepah, reported the nine included: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian; Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Friday prayer Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem as well as a pilot, copilot, crew chief, head of security and another bodyguard."

Live updates: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi in helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan Province; Hamas voices concern

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed while he was visiting a northern region in the country Sunday, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. Follow for live updates.

www.cnn.com

 

[whitelilac]

There's video footage of the drone looking for the crash site. Long video. I think this is "the source of heat" possibly.

Iran president, foreign minister on missing helicopter after ‘hard landing’

Search operations under way to try and find the helicopter in mountainous East Azerbaijan province.

www.aljazeera.com

or maybe fire?