TEHRAN -- An Iranian military jet fighter crashed on Monday in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz killing three people, including two crew members.
The plane hit the ground near a school, which was closed at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic, and a sports hall, it said.
Army spokesman Shahin Taqi-Khani said technical failure appeared to be the cause of the crash, but that an investigation was underway.
The pilot and a trainee pilot were killed, as well as a civilian passing by in a car, he said.
Local official Muhammad-Baqer Honarvar told national television the plane went down at around 9 a.m. in the western Tabriz neighborhood of Monajem near an airbase.
Reza Yousefi, a local army official, said at the site of the crash that the plane was an F5 model used for training purposes and also said it had crashed due to technical issues.
Yousefi praised the two pilots for “sacrificing” themselves as they had managed to avoid houses and landed the plane in an open area next to the sports hall.
“The pilot and co-pilot sacrificed themselves. They could have used the ejection seats, but they refused to do so. Instead, they headed for the sports hall to keep people safe,” he said.
The official news agency IRNA posted on its website video footage showing firefighters putting out a blaze at the crash site.
Iran’s air force still uses some American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.