A helicopter carrying Iranian Ebrahim Raisi took off near the border between Iran and Azerbaijan. The helicopter carrying Raisi later crashed.Reuters
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is no more. He died along with three other officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian, after the helicopter carrying them crashed in the country’s mountains last night.
Raisi joins a long list of world leaders and celebrities who have lost their lives in helicopter crashes. Among them are famous American basketball player Kobe Bryant, former Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami, and former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera.
See all live updates on Ebrahim Raisi’s death here
Raisi’s death has brought renewed attention to the helicopter and its safety record. In fact, it is interesting that helicopters are preferred by many world leaders despite their poor aviation safety record. But why is this so?
Leaders and celebrities killed in helicopter crash
Raisi was returning from starting construction on a dam project with his Azerbaijani counterpart when a US-made Bell 212 helicopter crashed in the Jolfa region of Azerbaijan state in the Middle East during bad weather. Hours after the search began, authorities said they found the wreckage of the helicopter and “no signs of life were detected.”
Before Raisi, former Chilean president Sebastian Pinilla died in February 2024 when his helicopter crashed into a lake in southern Chile. He was an important figure in Chilean politics, serving two nonconsecutive terms as president.
In 2020, Kobe Bryant, a famous American basketball player, died along with his daughter in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
An Iranian man looks at a newspaper with a photo of late President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran.Reuters
In 2018, Leicester City Football Club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was also killed when the helicopter carrying them crashed.
Similarly, in 2005, Sudanese leader John Garang de Mabiour was killed in a helicopter crash. According to reports, he was traveling in Uganda’s presidential Mi-172 helicopter after a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni when the helicopter crash occurred.
And in June 1987, Rachid Karami, Lebanon’s most frequently elected prime minister, died after a bomb exploded in his helicopter while en route to Beirut, killing Karami and injuring several other passengers.
People follow the news of the crash of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on televisions in shops in Tehran.Reuters
Still a preferable choice
However, despite numerous instances of helicopter crashes, helicopters remain the preferred transportation option for many leaders. Why does this happen anyway? Aviation experts believe there are four main reasons why politicians use helicopters.
First and foremost, helicopters can reach places that cars and planes cannot. In order for an aircraft to arrive at a particular location, there must be a runway at that location. However, this is not the case with helicopters. It is the most preferred mode of transportation, especially during election and campaign periods, as it can land on any flat surface.
In fact, as India conducts its Lok Sabha elections, it has been reported that the number of chartered helicopters has increased by 15-20 per cent compared to six months ago, with most of the requests coming from politicians. ing. I would like to travel around the country campaigning for my party.
Secondly, helicopters save time. If a politician or leader wants to visit a far-flung location, a helicopter is likely to get them there in the shortest possible time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi descends from a helicopter. Indian politicians have frequently used helicopters during Lok Sabha election campaigns. File image/AFP
You also have the advantage of having multiple options available at a lower price. For example, politicians can choose between a twin-engine helicopter with a capacity of 10 to 12 passengers or a single-engine helicopter with a capacity of 6 to 7 passengers. However, if you are arriving by plane, the minimum capacity is 20 people. And as the size of the plane increases, so does the cost.
In India, the smallest chartered plane costs between Rs 4.5 million to Rs 5.25 million per hour. Compare this to 1.5 million rupees per hour for a chartered helicopter.
Last but not least, companies that own helicopters fall into the category of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs). Therefore, there is no need to follow timetables like commercial airlines.
Helicopter safety record
The cause of the helicopter crash has not yet been confirmed, whether it was due to wind and rain or human error, but this tragedy in which Raisi and the other birds lost their lives indicates that these birds are actually safe. This will leave many people wondering if it can be used for this purpose.
In fact, many people question the safety of helicopters, with the website howstuffworks.com once writing: The device doesn’t seem to live up to its promise of flying up and down, forward and backward, and side to side. ”
However, many aviation experts point out that helicopters are relatively safe. According to the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team, the fatal accident rate (the number of accidents resulting in one or more fatalities) for all U.S. helicopters in 2018 was 0.72 accidents per 100,000 flight hours. By comparison, the fatal accident rate for general aviation (the industry term for non-commercial or small private aircraft) was 1.029 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2018.
Even in Europe, there are not many fatal helicopter accidents. According to the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST), the number of helicopter accidents in Europe decreased from 103 in 2013 to 43 in 2017.
In 2018, the fatal accident rate (number of accidents resulting in one or more fatalities) for all helicopters in the United States was 0.72 per 100,000 flight hours.Image used for representative purposes/Reuters
According to a report in the Telegraph, helicopter crashes are especially prominent in our consciousness because they often occur in or around popular tourist destinations. Helicopters are also often used for dangerous operations such as search and rescue missions in combat zones and sometimes in bad weather. This can distort the picture for the bird.
John Goglia, former commissioner of the National Transportation Safety Board, told NPR that helicopters are safe on their own. Most of the problems are pilot or operational issues. “For the most part, this aircraft has been pretty reliable. And there have been a few instances where mechanical problems have occurred. But the real problem is the pilot.”
He further explained in the same report: “Helicopters require a lot of concentration. Inside an airplane, you often have to maintain your concentration from start to finish because there are automation features that don’t require as much concentration as in a helicopter. , sometimes people lose focus and the consequences can be severe.”
Also read:
What does the loss of President Ebrahim Raisi mean for Iran?What challenges does the country face? How did India-Iran relations develop under Ebrahim Raisi? Quick plane: Turkey’s Bayraktar Akinci drone crashes into the wreckage of Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter How did it help you discover
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