Iran Air Flight 227 facts for kids
Iran Air Boeing 727 EP-IRP few days before the accident
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, January 9, 2011 |
| Summary | Impacted ground on go-around |
| Place | Urmia, Iran 37°37′15″N 45°09′48″E / 37.62083°N 45.16333°E |
| Passengers | 93 |
| Crew | 12 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 26 |
| Fatalities | 77 |
| Survivors | 28 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-286Adv |
| Airline/user | Iran Air |
| Registration | EP-IRP |
| Flew from | Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran |
| Flying to | Urmia Airport, Urmia, Iran |
Iran Air Flight 277 was a passenger plane that crashed on January 9, 2011. It was trying to land in very bad weather at Urmia Airport in Iran. The plane was an Iran Air Boeing 727-286Adv, flying from Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, to Urmia. Sadly, 77 people died in the accident.
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About the Plane
The plane involved in the crash was a Boeing 727-286Adv. Its special registration number was EP-IRP. This aircraft was built in 1974. It spent a long time not flying, from 1984 to 2002. After that, it was repaired and started flying again.
What Happened to Flight 277
The flight was traveling from Tehran to Urmia. The plane crashed while it was trying to land. This happened near a lake at about 7:45 PM local time. The crash was likely caused by very bad weather.
The plane had tried to land once but couldn't. It then crashed either while trying to go around for another attempt or while trying to fly back to Tehran. It was snowing heavily, and it was very hard to see. When the plane crashed, it broke into several pieces. However, there was no fire or explosion.
Right after the crash, people weren't sure what type of plane it was. Some thought it was a Fokker 100, but it was later confirmed to be a Boeing 727.
There were 93 passengers and 12 crew members on board the plane. This means a total of 105 people were on the flight.
People Affected by the Crash
Sadly, at least 77 people died in the accident. Another 26 people were hurt. Rescuing people was very difficult because there was a lot of snow. A local official said the snow was about 70 centimeters (28 inches) deep where the plane crashed.
To help the injured, 36 ambulances and 11 hospitals were used in the rescue efforts.
Passengers' Home Countries
| Country | Number of people dead | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Crew | ||
 Iraq |
4 | 0 | 4 |
 Iran |
63 | 10 | 73 |
| Total Fatalities: | 77 | ||
Investigating the Crash
After the crash, Iran ordered an investigation to find out why the plane crashed. The day after the accident, investigators found both the plane's "black boxes." These are very important for understanding what happened.
One black box is the cockpit voice recorder. It records all the sounds and conversations inside the cockpit. The other is the flight data recorder. This box records information about how the plane was flying, like its speed and height.
Iran's Transport Ministry said that different groups of experts would study various parts of the crash. The Iran Civil Aviation Organization was put in charge of the whole investigation. Both black boxes were taken to Tehran to be studied carefully.
