An Iranian Army Air Force plane crashed during a training mission in the western province of Hamedan on the morning of January 22, but no casualties were reported, Tasnim reported.

Iran maintains an estimated fleet of around 300 fighter aircraft, primarily older US-made jets acquired before the 1979 revolution and Soviet- or Russian-designed models obtained in subsequent decades. Iran has seen several aviation incidents in recent years, the most notable of which was the fall of an Air Force helicopter carrying Iran’s then-president, Ebrahim Raisi, last May. In the crash near Varzaghan city in north-western Iran, the president and seven other passengers and crew members were killed.

The two pilots of the plane were slightly injured and were transferred to a medical centre.

Hamzeh Amraei, the political and security deputy of the governor of Hamedan, later said the two pilots could, fortunately, saved themselves before the crash and are in good health now.

He added that the plane crashed in the village of Aghbolagh in the suburbs of Kaboodrahang city, but the cause of the accident is still unknown, he said.

Earlier on January 15, a light training aircraft affiliated with Iran’s Police Force (Faraja) crashed near the northern city of Rasht due to a technical malfunction, resulting in the death of all three crew members.

Iran also shot down by missiles the passenger flight from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Ukraine International Airlines on 8 January 2020, killing all 176 occupants on board.