OTTAWA – Iran has the final say on who can analyze the Flight Knowledge Recorders of the Ukrainian passenger plane that its own revolutionary guard shot down in January, said the head of Canada’s Transportation Security Board.
Kathy Fox, president of TSB, said in an interview Monday that Canada needs to replace the foreign aviation law segment that provides Iran with the strength to conduct the investigation and monitor the published data. But she said it was a confusing procedure that would not take place in the short term.
Fox showed that the long-awaited download of flight knowledge and voice recordings from the cockpit of the January 8 crash had effectively ended in Paris on Monday. The security council sent a team to Paris to see how knowledge was being downloaded.
“It’s transparent to us if some of these paintings are going to be made in France or if Iran will simply take the knowledge and do it again in your country,” Fox said in an interview Monday.
Another 176 people were killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed shortly after Tehran’s takeoff, adding 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent citizens and dozens more with connections to Canada.
Iran first denied duty for the crash, but was forced to acknowledge the shooting after video footage on social media gave the impression of showing at least one missile hitting the plane. The tragedy occurred after Iran introduced missiles into Iraq at two U.S. army bases in retaliation for the death of a high-ranking Iranian general.
Iran’s delegate to the International Civil Aviation Organization told the United Nations firm on 11 March that flight knowledge and cockpit voice recorders would be sent to Ukrainian aviation investigators until 25 March, but then accused the COVID-19 pandemic of delay.
Fox also said he was in a position to say what he had done publicly because Iran had given the mandatory authorization required by foreign aviation law to do so.
According to Annex thirteen to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the “state of occurrence”, in this case Iran, becomes the principal investigator of the turn of fate because it happened in Iran.
But Iran may seek help from some other country or designate another country to conduct the investigation, such as when Ukraine turned to the Netherlands to investigate the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 through the pro-Moscow Ukrainian rebels over eastern Ukraine. years ago.
“Delegate to ICAO countries. For some reason, Iran decided to lead it. They have the right to do so,” Fox said.
“This raises the question of whether Appendix 13 is suitable for such circumstances, and in fact we have told families that we want it reviewed and reviewed to take into account these very exclusive types of events.”
Hamed Esmaeilion, a Toronto-area dentist whose wife and nine-year-old daughter were killed on the plane, said victims’ families are outraged and won’t accept any report that comes solely from Iran.
“Now we see that the killer is writing a report on his murder,” said Esmaeilion, who has a spokesman for the families and relatives of the victims.
Esmaeilion said he is not sure that Iran will allow an independent foreign investigation now, given his post beyond, and his latest latest report that human error led to the january collapse.
“The newest is ridiculous, ” said Esmaeilion.
The report describes a chain of occasions when the shooting could have been prevented. He said the Revolutionary Guard surface-to-air missile battery targeted the Boeing 737-800 had not been redirected well after its movement. The report indicates that battery managers cannot with their command center and have twice fired an aircraft that they have misidentified without getting approval from their superiors.
Chancellor Francois-Philippe Champagne rejected Iran’s conclusion that human error is the cause.
“This will only be the result of human error,” Champagne said in an interview.
“There are no cases (where) a civilian aircraft can be shot down only by the result of human error today.”
The minister described the black discharge as a long-awaited step in the investigation.
“Iran has been stagnant for many months. We have pressed, we have elevated the factor to the ICAO Board of Directors, the International Civil Aviation Organization, asking them to take action.”
Esmaeilion said investigators needed more information on the operation of Iran’s Russian-made Tor system, known to NATO as the SA-15, which is fixed on a tracked vehicle and carries radar and a package of eight missiles.
“The black box is a distraction here. There are more problems,” he said, adding “who kept the sky open and why (Iran) destroyed the crash site.”
Fox said the Dutch investigation on behalf of Ukraine was credible and answered key questions after 15 months.
“Why did you shoot? Why was airspace in Ukraine not closed at the time? Why did the planes still operate there? These are the same questions other people ask about this accident,” Fox said.
Champagne stated that flight recorders would be a component of a flight protection investigation and an investigation of foreign thieves to identify those guilty of the plane’s downing.
Britain, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sweden also lost citizens when the plane was destroyed, and countries formed an alliance with Canada to deal with Iran.
Champagne and its opposing numbers in countries have prompted Iran to release flight recorders and will continue to seek answers.
“All facts and cases involve more than just human error, so we will continue to vigorously pursue the investigation. We will continue to hold Iran, the Iranian regime, accountable.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 20, 2020.