Report says fatal Flight 752 crash not planned, but places blame squarely on Iran
\Iran did not plan last year's deadly downing of a passenger jet in advance, but a series of failures by the regime's civil and military authorities set the stage for the shoot-down of PS752 minutes after it took off, a forensic report has found.
Released Thursday after an eight-month investigation, the report says Iran failed to ensure its air safety or notify airlines about its military activities when it launched a missile strike against a pair of U.S. bases across the border in Iraq hours before the plane was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020.
All 176 people on board Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 were killed, including 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents and dozens of others bound for Canada. The Tehran-Kyiv route has been a popular first leg of a trip from Iran to Canada.
In a scathing message accompanying the report, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed Iranian authorities for the missile attack, which he attributed "to their recklessness, incompetence, and wanton disregard for human life."
The report by Jeff Yaworski, former deputy director of operations at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, concludes that a surface-to-air missile (SAM) operator misidentified the passenger plane as a "hostile target." It also highlights "command and control failures" that opened the door to disaster.
"Iran's account refuses to analyze the full range of deficiencies in the military sector that played a major role in the downing," the study says.
"While the forensic team found no evidence that the downing of Flight PS752 was premeditated, this in no way absolves Iran of its responsibility for the death of 176 innocent people. Iran is ultimately responsible for the actions it took -- or failed to take -- which led to the shoot-down."
The study relies partly on intelligence as well as a report from Iran's civil aviation authority, and comes after the regime blocked Canadian and Ukrainian investigators from a comprehensive on-site analysis.
"It also shows how Iran has covered up information, bulldozed the crash site, providing only a misleading and superficial account of events," Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Thursday at a virtual news conference.
The analysis comes three months after the federal government rejected outright the Iranian aviation authority's report, which blamed "human error" as the reason why the Iranian military shot down the jetliner minutes after takeoff from the Tehran airport.
"It places all of the blame on people lower down in the structure, and that is totally unacceptable," Garneau said.
"We're not satisfied. We don't have the complete truth."
A response group representing Canada, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sweden and the United Kingdom delivered a "notice of claim" against Iran on June 3. It lays out expectations around financial compensation for victims' families, a formal apology, returning remains and property to loved ones and proof of measures taken to prevent similar tragedies down the line.
An Iranian reply, which has yet to come, would kick-start negotiations, Garneau said. If the regime does not "display good faith," Canada can turn to a dispute resolution mechanism at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency based in Montreal.
"And if that is not satisfactory then we can go to the International Court of Justice," Garneau said. He declined to provide a timeline, saying it is "definitely not years."
The planned process comes as cold comfort to some.
Kourosh Doustshenas, whose 39-year-old fiancee Forough Khadem was among the victims, said he does not have "any faith" that Iran will offer genuine co-operation.
"It's really painful, it's very frustrating," he said in a phone interview from his home in Winnipeg. "But I'm not sure what else the country can do against a rogue regime like that.
"My life has been a nightmare since Jan. 8, 2020, and there is not a day gone by that I have not been thinking about her," he said of his partner, an immunologist. "Especially in the horrible, horrible way in which she was killed, along with the other innocent people."
Doustshenas said that regardless of whether the shoot-down was premeditated, the act and the deficiencies that led to it amount to "criminal negligence" in his eyes. He is calling on Canada to pressure ICAO to condemn Iran.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra denounced the regime at an ICAO council meeting last week, drawing the ire of Iran's foreign affairs ministry.
Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash, but three days later said the Boeing 737-800 was shot down by accident after being mistaken for a missile amid heightened tensions with the United States. The admission came after video footage on social media appeared to show at least one missile striking the jet.
The disaster unfolded hours after Iran launched missiles into Iraq at two American military bases in retaliation for the U.S. having killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport by order of then-U.S. president Donald Trump.
Emails from Garneau in the 48 hours following the shoot-down show his concern with the state of the flight data and voice recorders, colloquially referred to as the "black boxes."
The information they contain about what was happening on the airplane and what the pilots were discussing is considered key to aiding in any investigation, but early reports suggested they had been damaged and some data potentially lost.
"Either way, it's concerning if true and during a crucial moment of flight," Garneau wrote.
In an email late in the evening on Jan. 9, 2020, Garneau's office was trying to figure out how to "contextualize" Canada's role in the investigation: "Is it a full role, partial role, and are we satisfied with the extent of our participation?"
The Canadian Press obtained copies of the emails under the Access to Information Act.
Michael Bociurkiw, who was an observer for Ukraine's investigation into the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight in 2014, said the skies are no safer since then, and that governments and institutions need to take stronger steps to protect airspace from military threats.
"It's shameful that Canada and allies -- and especially the Montreal-based ICAO -- have achieved so little to make the skies safer for civilian passengers," he said in an email.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2021.
With files from Jordan Press
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Local Spotlight
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Grain-gobbling bears spark 'no stopping' zone in Banff National Park
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
Doorbell video shows family of black bears scared off by dog in Sudbury, Ont.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.