Iran blames human error for plane missile hit

MISCOMMUNICATION between troops and human error led to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukranian jetliner in January which killed 176 people, it has been claimed.

According to a report by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, a misaligned missile battery and a decision to fire without authorisation were also contributing factors to the missiles hitting the Kiev-bound Flight 752 on January 8.

Authorities had initially denied responsibility, only admitting responsibility days later after western nations presented evidence that Iran had shot down the plane. The report may signal a new phase in the investigation into the crash as the aircraft’s black box flight recorder is due to be sent to Paris, where international investigators will finally be able to examine it.

The incident happened the same night Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting US soldiers in Iraq, its response to the drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani on January 3. At the time, Iranian troops were bracing for a US counterstrike and appear to have mistaken the Ukranian plane for a missile.

The civil aviation report does not acknowledge that, only saying a change in the “alertness level of Iran’s air defence” allowed previously scheduled air traffic to resume. The report detailed a series of moments when the taking down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 could have been avoided.

Crucially, those manning the missile battery could not communicate with their command centre, they misidentified the civilian flight as a threat and opened fire twice without getting approval from ranking officials, the report said.