Ukrainian Airlines tragedy: suspicions of terrorism mount

Sometimes silence speaks louder than words. ["The dog that didn't bark". Ed.] Here is what is known, now, about the last moments of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752. The B737-800, fully loaded with fuel, lifted off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport at 0612 Wednesday, almost an hour late, for the four-hour flight to Kyiv. No reason for the delayed departure has as yet been given.

Tracking data suggests that the plane had reached a speed of about 500 km/h and an altitude of just over 2400 metres, when, about four minutes after takeoff, it suddenly plunged to earth, crashing near a soccer field and irrigation canal outside the town of Parand, 30 km northwest of the airport.

There was no distress call or other communication from the cockpit in the moments before the crash. The aircraft just disappeared from the radar == there one moment, gone the next.

Our aviation expert (Agent 17) says the sudden disappearance from the radar, combined with radio silence, indicates a sudden catastrophic event. If the plane had lost an engine or had other mechanical/technical trouble, there should have been time for the pilots to alert air traffic control and, perhaps, declare an emergency. But nothing was heard. Just silence.

The timing of the tragedy -- just four hours after the Iranians launched a barrage of missiles at two bases housing American and other international military personnel in Iraq, an initial reprisal for the Americans' January 3rd killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani -- raises suspicion that the plane may have been sabotaged or shot down... accidentally or on purpose. Stay tuned.