2019 Saha Airlines Boeing 707 crash

On 14 January 2019, a Boeing 707 operated by Saha Airlines on a cargo flight crashed at Fath Air Base, near Karaj, Alborz province in Iran. The aircraft was the last civil Boeing 707 in operation.

Accident

The aircraft was on an international cargo flight carrying meat from Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to Payam International Airport in Karaj, Iran, but the flight crew actually landed at Fath Air Base. The crew probably mistook Fath Air Base's runway for the much longer Payam International Airport runway, as the two runways are just a few kilometres apart and on a similar alignment. A 707 generally requires a runway length more than 2500 m, but the runway at Fath Air Base is only 1300 m. Poor weather conditions were also reported.

The aircraft overran the runway, crashed through a wall, and came to rest after colliding with a house in the neighbourhood of Farrokhabad, Fardis County, Alborz province. The accident was captured on Security footage and shows the plane as it crashes and bursts into flames. The houses involved were empty at the time of the crash, and no one on the ground was injured. Fifteen of the sixteen crew on board were killed; one crew member survived, but was seriously injured. There were no passengers. Following the crash, a fire developed. Early reports gave the number of people on board as either 16 or 17, all but one of whom died. The sole survivor was Farshad Mahdavinejad, the aircraft's flight engineer, who was taken to Shariati Hospital in a critical condition.

In a possibly related incident from 16 November 2018, a Taban Airlines MD-88 carrying 155 people twice attempted to land on this runway, mistaking it for the longer 3659 m Payam runway, which is nearly inline. On the first approach the plane reached an altitude of 1 m before aborting the attempt, but eventually continued on for a safe landing at Payam after an aborted second attempt there.