Severe vibrations caused parts of the cabin interior of an Iranian Boeing 737-300 to detach during a rejected takeoff at Mashhad International Airport, with video showing passengers trying to hold overhead components as the aircraft shook violently.
The Sepehran Airlines aircraft, registered EP-FSU, was attempting to operate flight IS4358 from Mashhad to Kermanshah on September 14 when the crew aborted the takeoff. No injuries were reported.
Video recorded inside the aircraft shows ceiling panels and components around the overhead bins coming loose while passengers brace themselves against seats and parts of the cabin interior.
Initial reports from Iran presented a different sequence, claiming that the aircraft had become airborne before returning to Mashhad following a tire problem and a reported engine issue.
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Subsequent information, however, identifies the occurrence as a high-speed rejected takeoff. Flight tracking records also show no flight by EP-FSU on September 14, while the aircraft has not recorded a flight since arriving in Mashhad on September 11.
Landing gear vibrations reported
The Aviation Herald, citing Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, reported that abnormal oscillations, known as shimmy, developed in the main landing gear during the takeoff roll.
According to the report, a shimmy damper was found in poor condition, with leakage, wear and corrosion. The vibrations reportedly damaged components of the landing gear and subsequently the tires.
The Iranian authority was also reported as saying that the condition of the tires and the actions of the pilots did not cause the occurrence.
No primary investigation report from the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization detailing those findings was publicly available when this article was written, however, and some early accounts of the incident conflict with the later description of the rejected takeoff.
EP-FSU is a 30-year-old Boeing 737-300 that entered service with Sepehran Airlines in May 2023. Fleet records list the aircraft as parked at Mashhad since the September 14 occurrence.
Replacement aircraft completes flight
Flight IS4358 was eventually operated to Kermanshah by another Sepehran 737-300, EP-FST.
Flight tracking data shows EP-FST departing Mashhad at 6:01 p.m. and reaching Kermanshah at 7:49 p.m., almost nine hours after the flight's scheduled departure time.
According to reports from passengers, EP-FST had originally been assigned to the service but developed a technical problem, prompting the airline to substitute EP-FSU. The original aircraft was subsequently returned to service and completed the flight.
A NOTAM issued at Mashhad prohibited takeoffs and landings on runway 13R/31L for nearly three hours on September 14 because of a disabled aircraft. EP-FSU remains parked at Mashhad following the occurrence.
