Passengers on a domestic flight in Iran endured frightening moments after a Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 was forced to return for an emergency landing at Mashhad airport shortly after takeoff. Video from inside the cabin shows the aircraft shaking violently, sections of the ceiling lining coming loose and falling, and terrified passengers shouting and praying as the crew prepared to return to the ground.
According to Iranian authorities, part of the tread separated from one of the aircraft’s tires during takeoff, while the pilot subsequently reported an engine malfunction. The aircraft landed safely and no injuries were reported.
Moments of terror in the skies over Iran
The flight, which was traveling from Mashhad to Kermanshah, had been scheduled to depart earlier but was delayed twice. It eventually took off at around 5:39 p.m. local time.
Hassan Jafari, public relations director for the airports authority in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, said the outer rubber tread separated from one of the aircraft’s tires during takeoff.
Jafari stressed that, contrary to initial reports in Iran, the tire itself did not burst. After takeoff, the pilot reported an engine problem to air traffic control and requested permission to return to Mashhad.
The exact cause of the malfunction remains under investigation, and it is not yet clear whether there was any connection between the tire problem and the engine issue reported by the pilot.
After landing, the passengers left the aircraft safely and were later transferred to another flight to Kermanshah. Videos published following the incident showed the drama that had unfolded inside the cabin, with sections of the ceiling coming loose, objects falling and passengers gripping their seats and praying.
The aircraft involved, registration EP-FSU, is a Boeing 737-300 about 30 years old. It has passed through several operators over the years and entered service with Sepehran in May 2023.
A Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 in calmer circumstances
(Photo: Sergey Kustov / shutterstock)
The rest of the airline’s fleet is hardly young either. Sepehran, whose main base is in Mashhad, currently has 11 Boeing 737s, eight in service and three parked. According to aviation database Planespotters, the fleet has an average age of 32.2 years.
That figure stands out against the broader condition of Iran’s civil aviation sector. Decades of sanctions have made it difficult for the country and its airlines to acquire new Western aircraft and obtain spare parts and aviation technology on a regular basis.
There is, however, currently no evidence that sanctions, the aircraft’s age or the overall condition of Sepehran’s fleet caused the malfunction on this flight.
The timing adds another layer of context. On September 8, six days before the incident, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines, including Sepehran Airlines, as part of a broader action against Iran’s aviation sector. The Treasury alleged that the sector has been used by the Iranian government to transport weapons, personnel and illicit cargo, while also accusing Iran of using front companies and overseas intermediaries to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and aviation technology.
As part of the same move, the U.S. also suspended three Iran-related aviation authorizations, including provisions that had allowed certain overflights and permitted non-U.S. airlines to fly U.S.-origin or U.S.-controlled commercial aircraft into Iran.
Nor is this Sepehran’s first incident at Mashhad in recent weeks. On August 25, one of the airline’s Boeing 737-500s, arriving from Tehran with 127 people aboard, veered off the runway after landing in Mashhad and came to a stop with its nose landing gear collapsed. No injuries were reported, and Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization opened an investigation.