2009 Iranian Air Force Il - 76MD Adnan 2 accident The 2009 Iranian Air Force Ilyushin IL - 76MD accident of 22 September 2009 resulted in the destruction of Iran ' s only functional Airborne early warning and control ( AWACS ) aircraft , an Ilyushin Il - 76MD . Sources conflict on the cause of the loss , with some stating that there was a mid - air collision with an Iranian Air Force Northrop F - 5E Tiger II or a HESA Saeqeh , and others stating that the rotodome detached from the aircraft , striking and removing the tailplane while the aircraft was manoeuvreing for an emergency landing following an engine fire . Accident . A military parade was held in Tehran on 22 September 2009 to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980 – 1988 Iran – Iraq War , and was a send - off for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was to give a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 23 September . A fly - by by the Iranian Air Force was part of the parade involving the AWACS - equipped Ilyushin - 76MD as well as Northrop F - 5E Tiger IIs and HESA Saeqeh aircraft . Sources vary on the cause of the accident . Some state that a fire developed in one of the engines , and that the radome detached from the aircraft while attempting to make an emergency landing on runway 29L at Tehran ' s Mehrabad International Airport . The detached radar dome struck the tail fin , removing it and caused loss of control which led to the aircraft crashing . Other sources state that the Il - 76MD and one of the escorts collided in mid - air over the site of the tomb of former Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeni . The Ilyushin subsequently crashed in flames 15 km northwest of Varamin , killing all seven crew members on board . Some reports state that no mayday call was made , indicating a sudden event while other reports indicate that there was an emergency call from the aircraft with the pilot reporting an engine fire and calling for an emergency landing . The accident was initially reported on the Islamic Republic News Agency website , but was withdrawn 5 hours later . A video of burning wreckage from the military aircraft surrounded by fire trucks was also shown on state TV . However , president Ahmadinejad made no mention of it during his speech at the parade . A video of the crash appeared on YouTube on 3 June 2011 , showing the stricken IL - 76MD with its rear fuselage missing , spiralling down out of control and then impacting the ground . The appearance of the video was reported in the " Huffington Post " , and the " Daily Mail " , which stated that the accident was the result of a mid - air collision . The scene was captured in the background of a video made while filming an in - flight refueling operation between two unrelated aircraft at the air show . Aircraft involved . IL - 76 . The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il - 76MD , a Soviet - built transport aircraft , later converted to an AWACS system for the Iraqi Air Force called the Adnan - 2 class AWACS . It had been flown from Iraq to Iran in 1991 during the First Gulf War , given serial number 5 - 8209 and renamed from " Baghdad " to " Simorgh " ( a flying creature of Iranian fable which performs wonders in mid - flight ) . After arrival in Iran , Russian technicians had reportedly upgraded the aircraft and installed a newer Iranian - made radar , which could trace flying objects within a range . The aircraft came into service in April 2008 and was the only AWACS - equipped Iranian aircraft . Possible second aircraft . If a mid - air collision was the cause of the accident , some sources state that the second aircraft involved was a Northrop F - 5E Tiger II , while others state that a HESA Saeqeh was the second aircraft .