Turkish Challenger 604 TC-TRB crashes in Iran

A Turkish-registered Bombardier Challenger 604 TC-TRB has crashed in a mountainous region in Iran.

There were 11 persons on board, including eight passengers and three crew. According to the Times, the passengers included Mina Basaran, the socialite daughter of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran, who was visiting Dubai as part of her hen party before her upcoming marriage.

The aircraft was on a flight from Sharjah, UAE, to Istanbul, Turkey, when Iranian air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft near Shahr-e Kurd in the Zagros mountain region.

An Iranian civil aviation organisation spokesperson later confirmed that the aircraft had crashed, after disappearing from radar screens.

Bombardier Challenger 604 MSN 5494 / TC-TRB was originally delivered to a US operator in 2001.

After short spells in Germany and Switzerland, it was purchased by Turkey’s MNG Jet in 2012.