Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 ceiling collapses during emergency landing in Iran
A Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 aborted takeoff in Mashhad after a blown tire damaged its engine, causing violent cabin vibrations that collapsed ceiling panels before all passengers evacuated unharmed.
Takeoff emergency at Mashhad
A domestic flight operated by Iranian private low-cost carrier Sepehran Airlines suffered multiple mechanical failures during its departure from Mashhad to Kermanshah in northwestern Iran. The aircraft, an older Boeing 737 operating flight SHI-4358 that had been brought in to replace another grounded plane, began its takeoff roll shortly before 18:00 local time on Monday following earlier scheduling delays. According to initial findings from the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization, a defective shock absorber transmitted abnormal vibrations directly to the landing gear assembly during the acceleration phase. The mechanical stress caused an aircraft tire to violently burst along the runway, throwing rubber tread and debris into the air. Portions of the shattered tire were ingested into one of the engines, damaging internal fan blades and causing a rapid mechanical malfunction.
Cabin damage and emergency landing
The sudden engine damage and landing gear failure caused intense vibrations throughout the entire fuselage while the aircraft was moving at high speed. The violent shaking destabilized interior fittings, causing overhead storage compartments to shake loose and multiple cabin ceiling panels to detach and collapse onto seated passengers. Video footage recorded inside the aircraft showed severe panic, with travelers shouting and attempting to hold up falling panels with their hands as debris scattered across the aisle. The flight crew responded by declaring an emergency, aborting the takeoff run, and executing an emergency landing back at Mashhad airport. Although the sequence inside the cabin lasted tens of seconds, the pilots managed to bring the aircraft to a controlled stop on the runway.
- A Sepehran Airlines Boeing 737 suffers nose gear collapse and veers off the runway.
- The scheduled flight between Mashhad and Kermanshah is cancelled twice for technical problems.
- Flight SHI-4358 suffers a tire blowout and engine damage during takeoff acceleration in Mashhad.
- The aircraft makes an emergency landing, passengers evacuate unharmed, and the runway closes for inspection.
Evacuation and airport disruption
Emergency response crews met the aircraft immediately after it was immobilized on the runway. Ground teams deployed standard mobile passenger stairs, allowing all travelers and crew members to disembark safely onto the tarmac without requiring emergency slides. Airline spokesperson Hasan Džafarí confirmed that nobody aboard suffered physical injuries during the rough landing or the interior ceiling collapse. Mashhad airport authorities closed the active runway for several hours to clear debris, inspect the tarmac surface, and verify operational safety before restoring normal air traffic. The airline subsequently transferred the passengers to a replacement aircraft, allowing them to complete their journey to Kermanshah later that evening.
Fleet maintenance and regulatory investigation
The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization launched a formal technical investigation to determine the exact sequence of mechanical failures and evaluate the structural damage to the aircraft. The affected jet was grounded for technical inspections, while records indicated that the specific flight had already been cancelled twice on the preceding day due to recurring technical problems. The incident is the second landing gear failure for Sepehran Airlines in recent weeks, following an incident in late August when another Boeing 737 suffered a nose gear collapse and skidded off the runway after landing. Commercial carriers in Iran face persistent hurdles in sourcing certified spare parts and comprehensive maintenance support due to decades of United States economic sanctions on aviation equipment.
