Horrific coincidence that might not entirely be a coincidence.  A Ukraine 737 Airliner, Flight 752 from Tehran to Ukraine, is lost shortly after take-off.  The incident takes place only hours after Iran fires ballistic missiles into Iraq targeting U.S. bases.

Video of the plane crashing shows the airliner in flames as it nears the ground and explodes.  Some preliminary reporting indicated the flight might have been accidentally shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft defenses.  [Note: All early details are sketchy]

(Via Daily Mail) A Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 170 passengers and crew has crashed near Tehran just three minutes after takeoff.

The plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport when it suffered ‘technical problems’, Iranian State TV reported.

Unverified video footage tweeted by the BBC’s Iran correspondent, Ali Hashem, appeared to show the plane burning in the sky before crashing in a huge explosion.

Flight information shows Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 – a Boeing 737-800 – taking off at 2.44am UTC (6.14am local time) and reaching a height of 7,925ft before the data abruptly ends.

An investigation team was at the site of the crash in southwestern outskirts of Tehran, Iran’s civil aviation spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh told the Associated Press. (read more)