Passengers aboard a Mahan Air Boeing 747 had quite the scare today when the plane's engine unexpectedly detached from the plane, according to local media.
The 300 passengers on board were en route to Bandar Abbas in Southern Iran from Mehrabad Airport when one of its engines fell off and crashed into a nearby field, forcing an emergency landing, according to AirLive.
Iranian media and social networkers were quick to converge upon the scene and take pictures of the crashed engine.
Some parts of passenger airplane which had emergency landing in #Tehran fell in the suburb of the city. #Iran pic.twitter.com/IKgbTXKyNg
— Abas Aslani (@abasinfo) October 15, 2015
This incident comes as Iran finds itself in dire need to upgrade its aging fleet of 140 operating aircraft, reported the National— a need that has been impeded by nuclear-related and other sanctions, which have also made it difficult for the country to acquire spare parts for its aircraft.
These restrictions were partially lifted in January 2014 following an interim agreement on Iran's nuclear program. However, this only affected the sale of spare parts, while the direct sales of aircraft still remained banned.
Sanctions are expected to be fully lifted in 2016, though in exchange, Iran will have strict checks in place on its nuclear program.
Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi stated last month that Iran intends to purchase Airbus and Boeing passenger planes through long-term payment agreements once the sanctions have been fully lifted, according to AFP.
"Our negotiations have been mostly with Airbus and Boeing, and we have provided them with our plans and needs until 2020," he said.
A civil aviation official said in August that Iran planned to amass a fleet of 300 aircraft by purchasing 80-90 Airbus and Boeing planes per year.
