1994 Iranian Air Force C-130 shootdown
Encyclopedia
The 1994 Iranian Air Force C-130 shootdown occurred on March 17, 1994, when an Iran
ian Air Force
C-130E
military transport aircraft
, carrying Iranian embassy personnel from Moscow
to Tehran
, was shot down by Armenian
military forces near the city of Stepanakert
in Nagorno-Karabakh
. The 32 people (19 passengers and 13 crew) on board were killed in the crash.
Armenia's first deputy foreign minister, Zhirair Liparityan, told a news conference that the plane should have flown over Russia
, Georgia
and Armenia
before reaching Iran. However it veered about 65 miles east of this corridor as it left Georgia and did not enter Armenian airspace as scheduled at 10:08 p.m. Instead, it flew into the war zone around Nagorno-Karabakh.
The remains of Iranians killed in the crash were transported to Armenia and flown from the Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport
to Tehran. The ceremony was attended by Armenian Vice-president Gagik Arutyunyan and Vice prime-minister Vigen Chitechyan.
Iran dispatched a special Air Force commission to investigate the causes of the tragedy. The chief of the commission Abdat Aminian dismissed the version offered by Armenian Vice President Gagik Arutyunyan who suggested that the C-130 lost control and plunged to the ground because of some malfunctions of the plane's flight systems. An official of Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that for "some unknown reasons the plane exploded in mid-air, after it veered off course."
Aminian declared that the plane was shot down by two missiles, launched by the Armenian forces. Aminiyan said that the Armenian side did not assume direct responsibility for the accident, however, it admitted that its troops took the Iranian plane for an Azerbaijani craft, and that the Armenian troops did not try to get in touch with the plane in order to identify it.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the results of the investigation in a statement, which placed the blame for the shootdown with the Armenian forces. The statement said that "Iran reserves the right to take legal action and receive compensations for the victims of the crash, and calls on the Armenian government to identify and punish those guilty of downing the aircraft".
The Azerbaijani National Security Ministry supplied the Iranian side with a radio dispatch that was intercepted by Azeri intelligence on the day of the catastrophe. One of the phrases in the intercepted dispatch was "We have just downed an Azeri military plane". Azerbaijani intelligence claimed that a self-targeting "Osa
" missile system was used to down the C-130.
Some Russian military experts suggested that the C-130 intentionally changed its flight course for reconnaissance purposes. However the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected these allegations.
In the opinion of Human Rights Watch
, "under the rules of war, the Karabakh Armenians would be duty bound to ascertain the nature of the aircraft before firing. If they did not use every available means to identify the aircraft and still fired, this would constitute a serious violation of humanitarian law".
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Air Force
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force ' is the aviation branch of the Iranian armed forces. The present Air Force came into being in the early 1980s when the former Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed....
C-130E
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
military transport aircraft
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
, carrying Iranian embassy personnel from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, was shot down by Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...
military forces near the city of Stepanakert
Stepanakert
Stepanakert is the largest city and capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, though is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan...
in Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
. The 32 people (19 passengers and 13 crew) on board were killed in the crash.
Shootdown
C-130 Hercules departed from Moscow, taking relatives of Iranian embassy staff home for Novruz celebrations. The Iranian Embassy in Moscow said the aircraft was carrying 19 passengers, including nine children, and a crew of 13. The crew reported mechanical trouble before veering into and entering the Azerbaijani airspace over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where it crashed, killing everyone on board.Armenia's first deputy foreign minister, Zhirair Liparityan, told a news conference that the plane should have flown over Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
before reaching Iran. However it veered about 65 miles east of this corridor as it left Georgia and did not enter Armenian airspace as scheduled at 10:08 p.m. Instead, it flew into the war zone around Nagorno-Karabakh.
The remains of Iranians killed in the crash were transported to Armenia and flown from the Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport
Zvartnots International Airport
Zvartnots International Airport is located near Zvartnots, west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. The airport was built in 1961. It is now the busiest airport in Armenia and the Caucasus. The draftsmen of the airport included architects M. Khachikyan, A. Tarkhanyan, J. Sheqhlyan, L....
to Tehran. The ceremony was attended by Armenian Vice-president Gagik Arutyunyan and Vice prime-minister Vigen Chitechyan.
Iran dispatched a special Air Force commission to investigate the causes of the tragedy. The chief of the commission Abdat Aminian dismissed the version offered by Armenian Vice President Gagik Arutyunyan who suggested that the C-130 lost control and plunged to the ground because of some malfunctions of the plane's flight systems. An official of Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that for "some unknown reasons the plane exploded in mid-air, after it veered off course."
Aminian declared that the plane was shot down by two missiles, launched by the Armenian forces. Aminiyan said that the Armenian side did not assume direct responsibility for the accident, however, it admitted that its troops took the Iranian plane for an Azerbaijani craft, and that the Armenian troops did not try to get in touch with the plane in order to identify it.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the results of the investigation in a statement, which placed the blame for the shootdown with the Armenian forces. The statement said that "Iran reserves the right to take legal action and receive compensations for the victims of the crash, and calls on the Armenian government to identify and punish those guilty of downing the aircraft".
The Azerbaijani National Security Ministry supplied the Iranian side with a radio dispatch that was intercepted by Azeri intelligence on the day of the catastrophe. One of the phrases in the intercepted dispatch was "We have just downed an Azeri military plane". Azerbaijani intelligence claimed that a self-targeting "Osa
9K33 Osa
The 9K33 OSA is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system. "9K33" is its GRAU designation. Its NATO reporting name is SA-8 Gecko.-Description:...
" missile system was used to down the C-130.
Some Russian military experts suggested that the C-130 intentionally changed its flight course for reconnaissance purposes. However the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected these allegations.
Aftermath
In a meeting in Tehran with Armenia's vice president, Gagik Arutyunyan, Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani demanded that those responsible for the shooting be punished. Before departing from Tehran, Arutyunyan admitted that the Iranian plane was shot down “by mistake”, without specifying, who committed the mistake.In the opinion of Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, "under the rules of war, the Karabakh Armenians would be duty bound to ascertain the nature of the aircraft before firing. If they did not use every available means to identify the aircraft and still fired, this would constitute a serious violation of humanitarian law".