Iranian Military Fighter Jet Crashes in Tabriz City

Iranian media outlets have reported that an F-5 fighter aircraft “crashed inside the Shahid Alipour Sports Hall located on Astronomer Boulevard” in the city of Tabriz.

The aircraft had taken off from the second fighter base “Shahid Fakouri” belonging to the Islamic Republic Army, and the cause of the crash remains unclear.

So far, the deaths of three people have been confirmed, including two aircraft crew members (Sadegh Fallahi and Alireza Hanifeh Zad) and a vehicle driver whom the aircraft collided with.

The CEO of the Red Crescent Society stated that the aircraft, after crashing, also collided with the wall of a school, but “fortunately the school was closed.”

He also said: “The pilot apparently did not eject because the aircraft was crashing in a residential area and sacrificed his life.”

Reza Yousefi, commander of Shahid Fakouri air base in Tabriz, told the Young Journalists Club that the aircraft “experienced technical problems” and the pilot intended to land at the sports stadium, but because the stadium’s width was insufficient, it went outside the premises and collided with adjacent buildings.

Source: Radio Farda