/Boeing, NTSB likely wont investigate Tehran plane crash that killed 176, sources say

Boeing, NTSB likely wont investigate Tehran plane crash that killed 176, sources say

The Ukrainian Boeing passenger plane crash that killed 176 people likely won’t be investigated by the U.S. company or the National Transportation Safety Board, according to senior U.S. investigative sources.

While international agreements allow the NTSB and Boeing to assist on any overseas crash involving a Boeing aircraft, the sources told NBC News that current hostilities with Iran and the U.S. sanctions against Tehran are expected to prohibit U.S. teams from assisting Iranian investigators.

The Ukrainian International Airlines crash comes as President Donald Trump announced further sanctions against Iran in response to the Tuesday evening retaliation by Iran for Gen. Soleimani’s killing.

The NTSB said Wednesday it is monitoring the crash, and “is following its standard procedures for international aviation accident investigations, including long-standing restrictions under the country embargoes.”

The aviation board said it is working with the State Department and other government agencies to determine the “best course of action.”

Handover of the Black Box would be standard protocol in any crash, and Iran could send the boxes to a third country, such as France, to read out the cockpit voice and flight data recorders.

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Boeing called the crash “tragic” and offered its condolences to the victims and their families. “We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed,” the company said in a Wednesday statement.

The plane involved is a newer Boeing 737-800 series, which is not among the 737-MAX planes that have been grounded since last March, following two fatal crashes overseas killed 346 people.

In both Indonesia and Ethiopia, NTSB and Boeing investigators were on the ground following those MAX crashes looking for clues and assisting local investigators.

Investigators in the Wednesday crash would be looking for any signs that a mechanical problem or a missile or bomb brought down the Ukrainian plane.

U.S. aviation sources question why Iran had allowed commercial air traffic to depart Tehran, shortly after the country launched missiles against U.S. targets in Iraq.

It remains unclear how the plane went down, but video from the crash site showed what appeared to be pieces of an aircraft fuselage, an engine and other debris on the outskirts of Iran’s capital.

Iranian state TV said mechanical issues were suspected to have caused the crash, but Ukrainian officials said it was too early to determine the cause.

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, 82 people on board the flight with no survivors were Iranian, 63 Canadian, and 11 Ukrainian, including the nine crew members. Ten were from Sweden, four from Afghanistan, three from Germany and three from the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, some of the families of the Ethiopian Max crash in Ethiopia released a statement reacting to the news of the crash.

”What a sad day. What sad news. When shall we wake up from this nightmare?” the families said through a lawyer. “The news is heartbreaking after almost 10 months of feeling the loss of our families. Some of us don’t even know how to feel about this news.”

Paul Njoroge of Canada who lost his entire family in the crash of a Boeing jet on March 10 in Ethiopia said the news of the Ukranian airline crash “brought a chill in my entire body.”

“I know and feel the pain of losing loved ones in such a tragic manner. My sincere condolences goes to the families who lost loved ones in the crash of PS752,” Njoroge said.

Ben Kesslen contributed.

Original Source