TEHRAN, Iran -- A trainer aircraft crashed Monday morning in the northern Iranian province of Alborz, killing the pilot and his trainee, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The crash occurred at 5:45 a.m. local time (0215 GMT) while the pilot, identified as Navid Arabi-Moqaddam, and the trainee Amir-Hossein Mahmoudi were in a training session, the report added.
Tasnim said the aircraft belongs to Botia Mahan Aviation College, adding a team of experts has been sent to the scene to investigate the cause of the incident.Â
In a statement, the public relations department of Payam International Airport, where the incident occurred, said the aircraft crashed due to a technical defect while landing.