No, this picture doesn't show the wreckage of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter

By: Emilia Stankeviciute
May 21 2024

Share Article:

Screenshot of the picture shared on Instagram. (Source: Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

Context

On May 19, 2024, multiple news outlets reported that a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest, close to the Azerbaijan border. The inclement weather prevented emergency services from reaching the site for hours.

The picture, shared on Instagram the same evening as the incident, claims to show the wreckage of Iranian President Raisi's helicopter. Since it was posted, the image has garnered over 1,400 likes.

Screenshot of the picture shared on Instagram. (Source: Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

In fact

While the wreckage of President Raisi's helicopter was indeed located after the crash, the picture shared on Instagram is not from this incident. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, rescuers located the crash site in the early hours of May 20, 2024. However, images of the site have yet to be released to the public.

The Instagram image clearly shows an aircraft with the registration number N204TX on its side. According to the air traffic website Flightradar24.com, this number belongs to an Airbus H125 helicopter operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. This helicopter crashed on January 12, 2024, near the Texas-Mexico border during a night patrol flight due to a total loss of power. Both the pilot and co-pilot survived with minor injuries.

Screenshot of aviation data from flightradar24.com. (Source: Flightradar24.com/Modified by Logically Facts)

The helicopter carrying President Raisi was a US-made Bell 212. On the day of the crash, Raisi was traveling in the helicopter to inaugurate a dam at the border with Azerbaijan alongside the country’s President Ilham Aliyev, according to state media.

In an official statement on May 20, 2024, the Iranian government confirmed that no survivors were found at the crash site. The accident claimed the lives of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Imam of Juma Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, the flight crew, and the rest of the occupants, totaling nine fatalities.

Verdict

The picture shared on Instagram does not show the wreckage of Iranian President Raisi's helicopter. It depicts the wreckage of a Texas Department of Public Safety Airbus H125 helicopter that crashed in January 2024. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.