TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian official reports that 17 people died when a passenger plane caught fire as it was landing and skidded off the runway in the northeast of the country.
Provincial official Ghahraman Rashid told the state news agency that the tires of the plane from the private Aria airline caught fire during its landing Friday in Mashhad and it crashed into walls near the runway.
Another 19 people were injured in the crash in which the cockpit also caught fire.
There were 153 passengers on the Russian-made Ilyushin plane.
On July 15, an Iranian passenger plane crashed soon after take off, killing 168 people aboard.
Iranian airlines, including state-run ones, are chronically strapped for cash, and maintenance has suffered.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA