Iran army helicopter crashes into market, killing 2 pilots and 2 merchants

The incident in Isfahan province follows crash of fighter jet in Hamadan province less than a week ago.Published On 24 Feb 2026Tehran, Iran – Two military pilots and two merchants have been killed after an army helicopter crashed into a fruit market in central Iran.The crash on Tuesday morning occurred in Dorcheh, a town in Isfahan province, where the army has a major airbase, according to state media, which said the cause was likely a technical fault in the aircraft.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Schools shut, troops on streets: Mexico on alert after ‘El Mencho’ killinglist 2 of 3North Korea promotes Kim Jong Un’s sister as he vows to boost economylist 3 of 3Moscow policeman killed in bomb attack on Ukraine war anniversaryend of listFootage broadcast by state media from the scene of the crash showed the wreckage and emergency responders putting out the fire.The Army Aviation Training Centre, in a statement, identified the killed soldiers as Colonel Hamed Sarvazad, the pilot; and his co-pilot, Major Mojtaba Kiani.Two people working at their booths in the market were also reportedly killed on the scene after the helicopter crashed and caught fire.The army centre said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The local judiciary chief, Asadollah Jafari, said he had also opened a case and dispatched investigators.The crash comes less than a week after an Iranian Air Force fighter jet, reportedly an old United States-built F-4 model, crashed during a late-night training mission in the western province of Hamadan.State media reported that one of the pilots was killed, but the other survived after successfully ejecting. The cause of that crash is under investigation, but state media said it was likely caused by a technical fault, as well.Iran has been largely unable to upgrade its ageing fleet of aircraft, both military and civilian, as a result of decades-long sanctions imposed by the US and its allies.