Talk about a major SNAFU....:-roll What a very tragic accident, condolences to the families of all the victims of this major screw up. :( :(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10346431/Cheers,

I agree, it's sad and tragic and our thoughts should be with those in this tragedy. However, I think it's way too early to define the accident as a "major screw up" or in any terms really. From all accounts I've read the aircraft was having technical problems and trying to land and in the process, just went down. Who knows why? It could be operator error on the ground or in the air, or any number of part failures that sadly just happen with tragedy as a result. Until we know either way, I feel we should just confine our thoughts to those lost or hurt.-John

Aircraft was taking off from Mehrabad, got into trouble, and decided to return to the airport.It was carrying almost 100 people, which seems a heavy load for a 30 year old C-130 (which is what it was), so maybe it was overloaded.Combine that with poor maintenance (which is endemic in Iran) and you're a disaster waiting to happen.

Good point, John, and I fully understand your opinion, even though I honestly wasn't pointing to any error made by any of the Herk's pilots, in other words I simply used "major screw up" as an expression to describe the crappiness of this terrible accident, so I'll choose my words better next time. ;)Anyway, the merchant's description of the crash is horrifying....:-eekCheers,

>It was carrying almost 100 people, which seems a heavy load>for a 30 year old C-130 (which is what it was), so maybe it>was overloaded.>Combine that with poor maintenance (which is endemic in Iran)>and you're a disaster waiting to happen.Agreed, the safety and maintenance standard in Iran has always sadly been going down hill, and this accident just exposes this painful fact even further. :(Cheers,

"Anyway, the merchant's description of the crash is horrifying...."It most certainly was. I've never been close to an air crash, but I have been close to a major auto crash on a freeway and you see the events unfolding as if in slow motion. About a year ago, some idiot passed me going well over 100mph and didn't factor in traffic ahead. Something told me to hit my brakes (thank goodness for ABS) as soon as he passed me. He'd gone perhaps 50-60 yards, and suddenly I saw his car spinning and flying through the air when he tried a lane change way over the safe limit.I can only imagine that that gives some sense of what someone feels when they witness an air crash--I saw the car flying through the air at a right angle to my path, and I was hoping and praying we wouldn't be in the same place at the same time. Had I not hit my brakes, we would have been. Same holds true for air events--those on the ground can only watch and pray that they don't get hurt and also serve as invaluable aid in finding out what went wrong.-John

Yes of course,this is a tragedy. Passengers,crew,and the innocents on the ground.We of good will and compassion can identify with these kind of horrors.The thought of a plane slamming into a bldg.,can only ,consciencely or not,remind us of the horror of 9/11,and the continuing hurt. The journalists on this plane were to cover military maneuvers.Radio,and TV people mostly. Like the many railroad,ship,fire and bus accidents,each cause us unhappiness.For the victims ,its finality,,and the family's,a life of grief. There seems to be a special fascination about air crashes. Maby its because they are the most dramatic in their total devastation,of life and property. These things can only remind us,that life is fleeting. VIN