“We Don’t Know Jack, but We Know This” – Iran

| May 21, 2024

Ed filled us in nicely Sunday that the Iranian President’s helicopter had gone down in some roughish country in Iran. He took some other notables with him, including the minister of foreign affairs.  It is also stated, though, that there were three choppers in convoy and it seems only one crashed.

Well, as of Monday mid-day there is no cause established for the crash yet. Most likely the chopper kissed a granite cloud in poor weather, as both heavy fog and rain were mentioned in news reports.

However, there is one thing for sure: It’s our fault. Yep.

In a phone interview on Monday with the state TV news program, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the U.S. sanctions on Iranian aviation were one of the main reasons for the crash.

“On the cruel American sanctions, the United States is one of the main guilty ones in the catastrophe of yesterday’s crash because, despite the decision of the International Court of Justice, it has sanctioned selling airplanes and aviation spare parts and doesn’t allow Iranian people have access to good air transportation,” Zarif said. “These will be recorded in the list of the U.S. crimes against Iranian people that how they treated Iranian people.”

The helicopter carrying the officials crashed Sunday as it traveled through rainy and foggy conditions in the rural mountainous area near ??Kalibar and Warzghan in northern Iran, near the borders with Azerbaijan and Armenia.  ABC News

While descriptions of the area are sparse, the original claim of a “hard landing” seem a bit understated, as it was mentioned they had over 40 teams checking the area out as if the wreckage was strewn from a high-speed impact more than from bending the landing gear.

Many of the rescue teams were unable to fly into the area due to bad weather.

Still seems hard to blame the US for the crash, though, given that they have had over 40 years to source alternate support. Maybe instead of building nukes they might oughta learn how to make flying machines, or use some of our billions to do maintenance?

Maybe it’s just me, but I would think that sanctions have nothing to do with flying in dicey weather.

Category: Iran

59 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

So? And? Let the sand chiggers blame the USA.
Just like the DildoCrats like to blame PDJT for all their self-inflicted shot-in-the-foot hair-on-fire problems.
Meh. Just another drop in the bucket, means nothing.
Should build a wall around Iran and drop in a box of knives as we place the last brick. Then treat Iran like a spam caller. If I get a call from someone not in my list, I just ignore and don’t answer.

Hack Stone

Death to America! And before you die, give us spare parts.

Last edited 4 months ago by Hack Stone
Anonymous

“Good.” –Grumpy Cat

Last edited 4 months ago by Anonymous
Anonymous

Found…

th-9
Forest Bondurant

Crashed in a mountainous area due to inclement weather and poor visibility?

Sounds more like the pilot wasn’t IFR rated.

timactual

I am always amused by the term “Controlled flight into terrain”.

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

Or..pulling a Bernath

SFC D

The pilot was flying HUA.

Head Up Ass.

Army-Air Force Guy

IFR= I Follow Roads.

Forest Bondurant

Some do. A certain pilot carrying an NBA star was following the roads, but managed to augur into some mountains in Calabasas, CA.

Anonymous

Expert says they hit the ground… tried to go under bad weather in mountainous terrain, you know:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/expert-provides-insight-suspected-cause-194700677.html

Last edited 4 months ago by Anonymous
Odie

Seems like a car ride in bad weather they would have made better time instead of stopping their tiime

Hack Stone

He didn’t want someone to leak to the press that he called the martyrs who died in the war with Iraq losers and suckers.

Forest Bondurant

Ganyard sounds like an utter complete fucking moron.

TopGoz

Gary Larson did it best.

IMG_6446
AW1Ed

Agusta Bell 212 vs the mountain.

212
President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Mountain – 1
Helo – 0

Mountain wins by a knockout.

I’m pretty sure The Mountain has an undefeated record.

rgr769

The problem was the pilot couldn’t see that mountain through all that fog. IFR flight requires maintaining your assigned altitude. IFR quals won’t help if the pilot doesn’t stay at the assigned altitude. The assigned altitude keeps the aircraft well above terrain and obstacles.

AW1Ed

IFR- Inshallah Flight Rules.

SFC D

Proper altimeter setting is kinda crucial as well.

Forest Bondurant

“Insh…”

Odie

I took an incentive flight in an HH53 iirc, at Kadena years ago (79? 80?). They were using terrain following radar. Best roller coaster ride ever. I don’t how the altitude or speed, but it seemed we were pretty low going really fast.

Couldn’t that type of flying be considered IFR since the helicopter radar and instruments were pretty much doin the work?

AW1Ed

No comparison at all. Airliners fly IFR, not nape-of-the-earth at night in Injun country.

Odie

That’s why I come to where the more knowledgeable than I hang out.

KoB

There’s some really smart mofos hanging out here. There’s also a lot of smart ass mofos hanging out here….Choose wisely, Grasshopper.

SFC D

And more often than not, they’re the same mofos.

Odie

The smart asses here are an acceptable lot for the most part. As long as they can take what gets served back, it’s all good.

Odie

Looks like no trees were harmed in the making of this great story.

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed,
Mohammed must crash into the mountain

KoB

Whirly Bird go “SPLAT” followed by an Earth Shattering KA-BOOOM? You’d of thunk that with all the billions of $s we have sent the mad muthers they coulda bought some new whirly birds…or at least some repair parts.

MustangCPT

Marvin approves…

IMG_0308
26Limabeans

“.the chopper kissed a granite cloud in poor weather, as both heavy fog and rain were mentioned in news reports”

Ahh…the fog of war

ANCRN

Yep. We shpukd gladly accept the blame for that. For once sanctions had the intended effect, the degradation of military capability and disruption of the political structure.

Anna Puma

Speaking of old helicopters.

The VH-3D Sea King has been in the US Presidential fleet since 1976 and its replacement the Sikorsky VH-92 Patriot has still not replaced it.

26Limabeans

I used to watch the tv series “Whirlybirds” and they used a
Bell 47G for the primary and later a 47J model.
When I was a kid the state would spray for mosquitos in the
Boston suburbs. Nobody wore a mask and the mist would just
rain down on everyone.
I’m surprised they didn’t try that with Covid.

AW1Ed

I worked with folks from the Presidential Helo Program at Pax River. They all had that 1000 yard stare.

Old tanker

Oh well, sucks to be them. A M F.

timactual

Perhaps the “Jesus nut” finally gave up on them.

Fyrfighter

I’m pretty sure they call it the “allah” nut…

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Herr biden sent his condolences to iran on the death of his friends in the helo crash. I mentioned in my comments yesterday if Her biden would do the above and send his condelences to his irani friends… This info from NewsMax this morning.

Army-Air Force Guy

Nothing has stopped them from buying Mil’s from the Soviet Union/Russia for the past 40+ years; they could’ve retired those Bells years ago. But they realize, deep down, that old U.S. hardware is still superior to new equipment from Ivan.

Anonymous

Still likin’ the F-4Es…
comment image

Last edited 4 months ago by Anonymous
Jimbo

That was an awesome bird in its day.

26Limabeans

It’s springtime in Maine and the grackles are pretty
thick this year. When viewed in flight their tail looks
like an F4 and reminds me of the Phantoms coming
in and out of DaNang. Loud birds.

Odie

Have heard them referred to as proof you could make a brick fly with enough power behind it. Have also read they didn’t like to fly well if power was lost, as in, they apparently dropped like a stone. Glide ratio or something being horrible.

Cool planes though.

Army-Air Force Guy

And the Tomcats, and AH-1 Cobras. Believe they also might have a B-707 VIP bird and a 707 tanker as well?

Commissar's Butthurt

And training. If the US had trained the Iranian Pilots properly this never would have happened. This is all happened because Trump hates POC.

SFC D

Technically… Trump is a POC…

11B-Mailclerk

Orange is the new Black

Jimbo

IFR = I Forgot Rules on how to fly in fog.

Rule # 1 Fog rules. 🚁💥

Forest Bondurant

^ And there it is!

A Proud Infidel®™

Maybe the Iranian Prez WAS advised not to fly that day and said “Allah will take care of us!” and of course, *CRASH!*, I wonder if it wasn’t a fiery wreck, because IMHO those assholes need to get used to burning if yaknowhutimean!

Forest Bondurant

Allah must’ve changed his mind.

Skivvy Stacker

I thought they were going to blame the bad weather on the Jews.
They will bend over backwards about five or six different ways to blame the United States…I have to give it to them for being creative.

Prior Service

Sweet. Sign me up for being a company that doesn’t deliver critical spare parts to Iran so more of them die.

Hack Stone

“If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to crash into the mountain.

26Limabeans

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs
Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

https://youtu.be/z_Y3mnj-8lA