Sepehran 737-500 veers off runway in Iran
Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737-500 veered off a runway at Mashhad International Airport on August 25, 2026, after landing from Tehran. The incident left the aircraft disabled but caused no injuries among the 127 passengers and crew.
Incident Overview
Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737-500 veered off a runway at Mashhad International Airport on August 25, 2026, after landing from Tehran. The incident left the aircraft disabled but caused no injuries among the 127 passengers and crew.
Flight IS4310 was arriving from Tehran Mehrabad Airport (THR) when the aircraft departed the paved surface after what Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization described as a normal landing. The organization said no technical problem had been reported before the landing. The aircraft veered to the left, entered an unpaved area while still traveling at high speed and eventually came to a stop, according to the official account carried by Iranian news agency ISNA.
Passengers and crew evacuated safely. Iranian authorities sent an investigation team to Mashhad to determine why the aircraft left the runway.
Images taken after the accident show the 737 resting nose-down with its nose landing gear no longer supporting the aircraft. The aircraft was identified as EP-FSF, a Boeing 737-529 built in May 1992. MHD airport notices temporarily closed Runway 13R and Taxiway Q because of the disabled aircraft. Weather observations around the time of the accident reported good visibility, no significant clouds and light winds.
Aircraft History and Fleet
EP-FSF began its career with Belgian flag carrier Sabena as OO-SYJ in 1992. It later operated with AeroSvit and Ukraine International Airlines in Ukraine before moving to Indonesia, where it flew for Riau Airlines and Kalstar Aviation. The aircraft joined Sepehran in 2016. Sepehran operates a fleet made up largely of Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s on domestic and regional routes.
Iranian airlines have kept aging Western-built aircraft in service despite decades of restrictions that sharply limit access to new airplanes, replacement parts and manufacturer support. Carriers have relied on accumulated spares, locally repaired components, cannibalized aircraft and parts obtained through intermediaries and third countries.
Sepehran’s fleet includes 737-300s and 737-500s, as seen in the stats page. The 127 passengers and crew were evacuated safely, with no injuries reported, as noted in the injuries database. The aircraft, EP-FSF, is listed in the squad roster.
Investigation and Context
An investigation team from the Civil Aviation Organization has been dispatched to Mashhad to determine the cause of the excursion. Runway 13R and Taxiway Q remain closed until the aircraft is removed and the area is cleared. The nose landing gear collapse is visible in post-accident photographs, indicating a possible structural failure.
The accident occurred one day after the United States opened a new front in its economic campaign against Iran by imposing new sanctions on the country’s aviation industry. The US Treasury Department announced the measure on August 24 as part of what it calls Operation Economic Outcast. The Treasury Department issued sets of sanctions covering aviation, shipping, technology, digital assets and gold under Executive Order 13902. The aviation order gives the US Office of Foreign Assets Control authority to sanction any foreign person or company that operates in Iran’s aviation sector or provides services supporting it. The measure expands Washington’s ability to target individual airlines and the foreign companies that help them operate. That could expose aircraft brokers, parts suppliers, maintenance providers, insurers, banks and sales agents outside Iran to secondary sanctions, including exclusion from the US financial system. Sepehran was not named among the entities sanctioned in the August 24 announcement.
US restrictions already prohibit most unauthorized exports and re-exports of American aircraft and components to Iran. Applications involving civil aviation safety and the safe operation of US-built aircraft can be considered individually, but approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis.
Iranian airlines continue to operate older Western-built aircraft, a strategy that has been necessary due to limited access to new planes and parts. The new sanctions could further complicate maintenance and parts procurement for carriers like Sepehran. The incident highlights the challenges faced by Iranian aviation operators amid international restrictions.
Images show the nose landing gear collapsed, leaving the aircraft resting nose-down.
