The helicopter crash that resulted in the death of Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi in May was caused by a combination of adverse weather conditions and the aircraft’s inability to handle the weight it was carrying, according to a report by Iran’s semiofficial news agency Fars on Wednesday.
A security source, who remained unnamed, informed Fars of the final investigation results, stating that the crash was purely accidental. The source cited two main factors: unsuitable weather and an overload that led the helicopter to crash into a mountain. The investigation revealed that the aircraft was carrying two more people than its security protocols allowed.
In response to the report, the communications center of the Armed Forces General Staff, responsible for disseminating information on the crash investigation, dismissed the findings as “completely false.” According to state media, the military’s preliminary report, released in May, had found no evidence of foul play or an attack.
The tragic incident occurred in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, where Raisi, who was once a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, lost his life. Despite conflicting reports, the official stance remains that the crash was an accident resulting from environmental and operational factors.
