Iranian President, Foreign Minister Die In Bell 212 Crash

The Iranian government has confirmed the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian following a helicopter crash on May 19.

Search-and-rescue teams found the wreckage of the Iranian Air Force Bell 212 helicopter during the early hours of May 20 with support from a Turkish uncrewed aircraft system that spotted the crash site through its onboard sensors. Rescue efforts had been hampered by the mountainous terrain and low visibility.

The two men had been returning to the northern Iranian city of Tabriz after attending the opening of a new dam with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev when the helicopter crashed into a forested area between the villages of Uzi and Pir Dawood shortly after 4 p.m. local time. Also onboard were the helicopter crew and several bodyguards assigned to the two officials. Images published by Iranian news agencies revealed only a few pieces of identifiable wreckage, including the aircraft’s tail boom and fuselage doors.

Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri has appointed a commission, led by a senior officer, to investigate the “dimensions and causes” of the accident, Iranian media have reported.

Bell 212s were supplied to Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and several are understood to be in the charge of the Tehran-based VIP Transport Squadron of the Iranian Air Force. A twin-engine derivative of the famous Bell 205 Iroquois/Huey, the type has been largely phased out of service across the world in favor of more modern aircraft such as the Bell 412 and Leonardo AW139.

The accident will no doubt call into question the use of such an elderly platform for VIP transport, not to mention the decision to carry two high-ranking government officials on the same aircraft.