A chain of serious mistakes led Iranian troops to fire on a passenger jet earlier this year, killing 176 people, a new report from Iran's Civil Aviation Organization reveals.
The Iranian military shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in January due to human error, an improperly calibrated air defense system, communication problems, and a breach of engagement protocols, specifically firing without authorization, the report says.
The flight went down shortly after takeoff from Imam Khomeini International Airport on Jan. 8. While Iran initially claimed engine failure was to blame, it admitted days later, following reported foreign intelligence on the actual cause, that the passenger aircraft was shot down by a pair of surface-to-air missiles.