F-5 Fighter Jet Crash in Dezful Results in Pilot's Death

An F-5 fighter jet of the Iranian Air Force crashed near Dezful, resulting in the death of the pilot and injuries to another occupant. The incident occurred when pilot Manoochehr Fattahi, who lost his life in the accident, attempted to land the training aircraft at the 4th Fighter Base in Dezful. According to a statement from the Dezful Air Base's public relations, "This morning, an F-5 aircraft from the Dezful Air Base experienced an accident during a training flight and while landing due to a technical malfunction, which was skillfully managed by one of the pilots, landing on the edge of the runway." Several media outlets have identified the other occupant of the jet as a pilot, stating that "the aircraft was brought under control by the other pilot and stopped with minimal damage at the edge of the runway." An "informed source" told the IRNA news agency that the condition of the other occupant, who was transferred to the hospital, is "satisfactory." No further details about the incident have been released, and the Dezful Air Base has announced that the cause of the accident "is being investigated by a review team and the results will be announced subsequently." Iran purchased its F-5 fighter jets from the United States before the revolution and continues to operate 48 of them. Last week, the first Iranian fighter jet named "Kowsar," which closely resembles the F-5 model, was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic. The Tasnim news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the Kowsar fighter jet "bears a strong resemblance to the American F-5 fighter jet, or to put it better, Kowsar is essentially a heavy upgrade of the same F-5 design executed by the Ministry of Defense." According to this report, Iranian specialists used only the "body of the American F-5" in designing Kowsar, while all other parts have been completely "changed."