The helicopter crash that killed former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage last May was caused by bad weather conditions and overloading of the aircraft, according to the Iranian news agency Fars. The latter announced on Wednesday, August 21, that the investigation into this accident has been “fully completed”citing a security source informed of the investigators’ findings.
“The security and intelligence agencies have completed their detailed investigations, and it is absolutely certain that what happened was an accident.”the source told Fars. The investigation blamed the crash on bad weather conditions and the helicopter’s inability to gain altitude, loaded with more passengers than expected under safety protocols. Two more passengers than expected were on board, the investigation said.
The investigation, which was completed, ruled out the possibility of a “jamming and hacking of electronic systems” of the device, and claims that“no traces of chemical agents or harmful substances were found during the investigation”In May, the Iranian military also said it had found no evidence of criminal activity that could have caused the plane to crash.
Army ‘firmly denies’ overload
But shortly after Fars’ announcement, the Iranian armed forces’ general staff “firmly denied” The news agency reported that the helicopter crash was partly due to overloading of the aircraft.
“What is mentioned in Fars news about the presence of two people in the helicopter, in violation of security protocols, is completely false”the general staff said in a statement, relayed by a state television website. Warning the media against “the publication of information relating to defence and security”.
The helicopter was carrying Iran’s president and seven others, including his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The late president, 63, was returning from inaugurating a checkpoint on the border with Azerbaijan when the helicopter crashed on May 19 in the country’s mountainous northwest amid rain and thick fog.