Raisi’s crashed 30-year-old helicopter raises serious questions

Helicopter that crashed in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, claiming the lives of President Raisi and others, has been identified as a 30-year-old Bell 212

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several high-ranking officials were onboard a helicopter that crashed near the Azerbaijan-Iran border on Sunday evening.

Following the Akinci UAV’s successful identification of the helicopter’s location, the wreckage and the prompt sharing of coordinates with Iranian authorities by Türkiye, the Iranian Red Crescent reached the crash site.

Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mansur confirmed the deaths of President Raisi and his delegation due to the helicopter crash. It was revealed that the crashed helicopter was a 30-year-old Bell 212 manufactured in the United States.

Iran, facing spare parts challenges for American-made platforms like the Bell 212, was addressing these issues internally.

The Bell 212 helicopter was produced in 1994, making it a 30-year-old aircraft. Certified only for visual flight (VFR) with a capacity to carry only six passengers, the helicopter faced challenges in operating in varied terrain levels, lacked turbo-shaft power collective response for flying in changing terrain and lacked avionic capability for low visibility instrument warfare.

Bell 212’s last fatal crash occurred in September 2023 off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The latest Iranian crash of this type was in 2018, resulting in four fatalities.

Iran’s President Raisi confirmed their use of an American-made Bell 212 helicopter. Manufactured by Bell Textron Inc. based in Fort Worth, Texas, the Bell 212 is an iconic model widely used in public transport, search and rescue, firefighting and military operations due to its dual-engine configuration.

However, the Bell 212 has been involved in several significant accidents over the years, including crashes in 1997 and 2023.

Who is Ebrahim Raisi?

Ebrahim Raisi served as the 8th President of Iran. His career began in 1981 as a prosecutor in Karaj after the 1979 revolution, and he swiftly climbed the ranks.

In 1988, he was part of the committee that issued execution orders for imprisoned regime opponents under the direction of Iran’s revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.

This tragic accident highlights the critical need for stringent maintenance and safety protocols in aviation, especially for aging aircraft.

Source: Newsroom