Cause of Iranian president’s death revealed – media

Bad weather and an overloaded helicopter reportedly doomed Ebrahim Raisi

The helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was caused by bad weather and the aircraft having two more passengers than it should have, the Fars news agency reported citing security sources.

Raisi was returning from a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on May 19 when his helicopter crashed in the mountains, killing everyone on board. Rescuers did not reach the crash site until the following day, due to inclement weather.

“Security and intelligence agencies have concluded their investigation into the incident and are certain it was an accident,” Fars said on Wednesday, citing a well-informed government source.

Raisi’s death sparked fears of a regional war, as the US worried that Iran would blame Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made matters worse by saying that Iranians were “probably better off” without Raisi, even as he sent formal condolences to Tehran.

The official probe looked into 30,000 people, but found no signs of human error or sabotage, according to Fars. The investigators concluded that Raisi’s US-made Bell 212 helicopter had been too heavy, with two more passengers than the security protocols allowed. 

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When the pilot encountered a fog bank on the way back to Tabriz, he tried to fly above it but the engines did not have enough power. The aircraft then struck a mountainside that was obstructed by the fog, the official report said.

Investigators also blamed the fact that Raisi was behind schedule, which meant that fog and rain had moved into his flight path. The Iranian leader had flown to the border with Azerbaijan, about 200km north-northeast of Tabriz, to inaugurate a hydroelectric dam on the Aras River with his Azeri counterpart.

Eight people died in the crash, including the crew, Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati, and Imam Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in Tabriz.

Following the crash, Iran called a snap presidential election. Masoud Pezeshkian, considered a relative moderate, won the runoff in July with 53.3% of the vote, defeating the more conservative Saeed Jalili, who received 44.3%.