The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces on Wednesday released its second report on the May 19 crash, which also killed foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others, IRNA reports.
Based on sampling and tests conducted on the wreckage and parts of the helicopter, as well as the distribution pattern of the debris from the main body, the occurrence of an explosion caused by sabotage during the flight and moments before the impact with the mountainside is ruled out, the report said.
Additionally, investigators carefully examined the vast majority of the documents related to the maintenance of the helicopter and found no issue that could have played a role in the accident, it added,
The report also revealed that the helicopter's capacity in terms of the maximum standard load it could carry at the point of take-off and throughout the flight path and the return route was found to have been within the "permissible limit."
The recorded conversations between the flight crew show that the last contact with the pilots up to the time of the incident and when they stopped responding lasted 69 seconds, and no emergency declaration was recorded during that time, it added.
