Iranian Military Helicopter Crashes, Four Dead

A military helicopter crashed in central Iran on Tuesday morning (24 February), claiming the lives of two pilots and two civilians. The incident occurred in the bustling fruit market of Dorcheh, a city that hosts a major Iranian military airbase, according to state media reports.

Footage broadcast on national television, cited by Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera, shows the wreckage of the helicopter engulfed in flames, with emergency responders working to extinguish the fire and recover the bodies. Preliminary reports suggest that mechanical failure may have caused the crash, though an official investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances.

The Iranian Air Force Training Centre confirmed the identities of the two deceased military personnel:

At the time of the crash, two local shopkeepers were present in the market and were killed when the helicopter plummeted onto their premises. Authorities reported that the aircraft caught fire immediately upon impact, intensifying the severity of the incident.

In response, the Iranian military has initiated a formal investigation, and the city’s chief judicial officer, Asadollah Jafari, has filed a separate legal case and dispatched a team of investigators to the site.

This tragedy comes only a week after another military aviation accident in Hamadan province, western Iran. During a training exercise, an Iranian Air Force fighter jet, an older F-4 Phantom II model imported from the United States, crashed. One pilot was killed while the other ejected safely. In that case too, technical malfunction was cited as the likely cause, and the incident remains under investigation.

Iran’s aviation sector has long faced challenges due to U.S. and Western sanctions, which have hampered the modernisation of both military and civilian aircraft fleets. While Iran has procured a number of fighter and training aircraft from Russia and has expressed interest in acquiring modern Su-35 jets, these advanced aircraft have yet to be delivered.

The crash occurs amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and in the context of ongoing negotiations over a renewed nuclear agreement. Analysts note that incidents like these underscore the vulnerability of Iran’s ageing aircraft fleet and raise questions about operational safety protocols.

The helicopter disaster highlights the persistent risks faced by Iran’s military aviators and the potential hazards to civilians in proximity to training exercises, emphasising the need for rigorous maintenance and safety oversight.