Wednesday January 8, 2020 ~ NATIONAL [Updated 8 pm Pacific Time, January 8]
~ West Shore Voice News
This morning Canadians woke to the news of a plane crash in Iran in which all persons on board were killed. The aircraft went out of communication within minutes after takeoff from the international airport in Tehran.
On board Flight 752 were 176 people (nine of them crew), and of those, 63 were Canadians — many of whom were part of the Iranian Canadian communities of Edmonton and Toronto. There were also some international students on the flight, affiliated with as many as 11 post-secondary institutions across Canada (including UBC and UVic). Twenty-four of the deceased were children.
In a news conference in Ottawa this morning (Pacific Time), Trudeau said many of the Flight 752 passengers were supposed to catch a connecting flight to Canada. That flight landed in Toronto this afternoon January 8 with 138 seats empty.
According to CNN, the captain of the crashed plane was Volodymyr Gaponenko, an experienced pilot with 11,600 hours flying on Boeing 737 aircraft under his belt. The instructor pilot was Oleksiy Naumkin, also experienced with 12,000 hours on the aircraft. Ukraine International Airlines president Yevhenii Dykhne, said, “It is impossible that there were mistakes by the crew.” At a press conference in Kiev, he said Tehran airport was “not a simple airport” and the pilots required several years of training to use it.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a televised media conference — accompanied by key cabinet ministers and senior staff — today that ‘all of Canada is grieving with the families’ who have been impacted. Trudeau said these are early days for an investigation.
Two black boxes from the aircraft are still in Iran; no flight data or conversations of the pilot with air control are yet available for the analysis that will help determine what caused the crash. “It’s dangerous to speculate on possible causes,” Trudeau said.
Flight crash investigations are the responsibility of the country in which the aircraft crashes, and secondarily the nation where the airline originates. In this case, Iran will be the lead on the investigation and Ukraine will be also involved. All the crew members were from Ukraine.
Some aviation experts interviewed in TV newscasts say that Canada not having a direct hand in the crash investigation is not favourable to really finding out what happened to the satisfaction of Canadians. Aviation expert Larry Vance said that the investigation is “not off to a good start”, including that evidence at the crash scene has been handled or moved. “The environment (of the investigation) doesn’t leave me with a lot of confidence to support (a result), no matter what it is,” Vance said. He said that such a sudden plummeting of the plane without engine failure could indicate either a bomb blast from the inside (the plane did not hit the ground in one piece), or a missile strike from outside the plane.
Based on various news reports, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft as flown by the two highly experienced pilots had been in service for about 3.5 years. The aircraft was at an altitude of 8,000 ft and lost contact with air traffic control at 6:14:58 pm (local time in Iran) just 3 minutes and 3 seconds after the 6:11:54 permission to depart; first there was taxing on the runway, leaving two of those minutes for the plane as airborne. The plane sat on the runway for an hour, it was reported on CBC, before being given permission to take off; no reason for the delay is known at this time.
Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau, who appeared alongside the prime minister at the media conference in Ottawa today, said the satellite data suggested the plane took off in a normal fashion and appeared to have executed a “very, very standard departure.”
Aviation experts on various TV news interviews imply that ‘something sudden’ must have happened. Apparently even if one engine failed, the other engine would be capable of reliable flight for quite some time and distance.
Trudeau and the Canadian government have been particularly cautious with their statements about this incident. It was only a few days ago that the US made a strike on Iran with a successful attempt to eliminate a long-time military leader, to which Iran responded with a highly targeted missile strike on US/NATO military bases in Iraq that was evidently designed to produce no casualties.
Political leaders are not picking up the beat to comment on media speculation that the commercial jetliner crash has anything to do with tensions ignited between Iran and the USA.
Canada is a NATO partner with troops in Iraq next door to Iran. Canada was apparently not pre-advised of the US military strike but Canadian and other military personnel at the base had time to retreat to bunkers for cover; there were no injuries to Canadian, US or any NATO military personnel.
Today Trudeau spoke with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who both expressed profound sadness and sincere condolences for the loss of lives in the tragic plane crash in Iran, including losses of Canadian and British citizens.
The two leaders discussed the situation in Iraq. Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Johnson stressed that de-escalation is paramount. They emphasized the valuable role of the coalition in the fight against Daesh and the importance of the NATO mission in building security capacity in Iraq.
A ‘readout’ of a similar phone conversation between Trudeau and President of France, Emmanuel Macron, was released this afternoon. Trudeau and Macron “expressed support for the NATO mission’s efforts to strengthen security capacity in Iraq, and the importance of continuing the coalition’s fight against Daesh… and to continue working together to promote safety and security in the Middle East.”
The two prime ministers spoke about the importance of nuclear non-proliferation and stability in the region. They agreed to work together and with other international partners to reduce tensions in the Middle East.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney addressed media nationally from Alberta, immediately after Trudeau held his news conference in Ottawa. Many of the persons killed in the crash were of what Kenney called a tight-knit Iranian-Canadian community.
Here in BC, Premier John Horgan issued a statement in which he said: “Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and friends of loved ones lost and the greater Iranian-Canadian community in BC that enriches life in our province. As we wait for answers about what happened, we join with nations around the world that are mourning this tragic loss of life. We share in their grief.”
The Canadian flag at the BC Parliament Buildings in Victoria will be flown at half-mast to mark the deaths in this plane crash, it was stated in a release from the premier’s office.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tweeted: “There are no words. 176 lives lost. 63 Canadians won’t be coming home. These families deserve clear answers, but whatever the cause, this is devastating.”