Tehran, Dec 25, IRNA -- `Iran News' on Wednesday urged the Iranian government to take a lesson from Monday's plane crash near the central city of Isfahan and scrap the deal of purchasing outdated planes from the former Soviet Union, even if it entails losses.

The state-owned Ukrainian plane An-140 carrying Ukrainian and Russian aerospace scientists who were flying to witness the maiden flight of a joint Ukrainian-Iranian-built aircraft, scheduled for Wednesday, crashed while preparing to land near the central city of Isfahan on Monday killing all 46 on board.

The crash occurred at about 7:30 pm near Baqerabad village, some 45 miles northeast of Isfahan.

The death of 46 passengers is more than just another tragic accident, lamented the editorial.

None but ourselves are to be blamed, although the crash was a "pilot error", wrote the paper.

There were plane crashes in the past which had been blamed on pilot carelessness but on later investigations, it was learned that some system or mechanical failure was actually the cause of the crash.

The irony is that the jet that went down in central Iran was a test plane of the same model that was about to be commissioned.

Although plane crashes do occur once in a while throughout the world, but this tragic incident should wake up the Iranian government from slumber.

"Iran has the dubious distinction of leading the world in car accidents that lead to casualties (per capita), it criticized.

While the world is advancing in state-of-the-art technology and upgrading their societies, economies and various industries, Iran lags behind and "goes after outdated and obsolete technologies from the former Soviet bloc that are defective to begin with," criticized the paper.

"When are we going to learn our lesson and what is Iran doing to stay competitive?" it asked.

Do not the country's economic, political and aviation officials know that these CIS made aircraft are not airworthy and that are even banned to land in most Western airports due to excessive pollution levels and safety factors.

Is the government blind to these crystal-clear facts? it further asked.

Shouldn't the country's decision-makers think that if Ukraine really had a decent aerospace industry and was able to build technologically advanced commercial planes, "would one of their planes that was carrying their top aviation executives and scientists crash"? it pointed out.

It is rightly said that "if you were a doctor you would cure yourself first," it highlighted.

Wasn't losing the transport minister last year in a crash due to an outdated Russian made plane, enough evidence that these planes are not airworthy, it asked.

It is high time the government realized that nothing is more precious than the lives of passengers, emphasized the daily.

And before it is too late and more lives are lost, the government should scrap the deal of purchasing obsolete and outmoded aircraft from the former Soviet Union even if it incurs losses, it concluded.

Iran denies claims on suspension of Tehran-Kiev plane project

Ramezanzadeh told a press conference here on Wednesday that Iran had not made any decision to halt operations to manufacture Antonov-140 planes.

"Plane crashes have never led to the suspension in the activities of global aviation industry," said Ramezanzadeh regretting the Monday plane crash incident.

He offered condolences to the Ukrainian and Russian nation and government on the tragic incident and said investigations are underway.

An Antonov An-140 plane crashed into mountains as it made a descent to land in Shahin-Shahr in central Iran at 19:30 hours (1600 GMT) Monday.

It was carrying Ukrainian specialists to inaugurate a new aircraft that Antonov had built.

Initial reports put the death toll at 48 people, including a child and a woman. But, it was revised later after Ukrainian officials said four of those supposed to board the ill-fated plane had cancelled their trips.

Iranian rescue workers have found all the bodies of the victims, mostly mutilated and charred because of the fire which broke out after the crash, and transferred them to morgues.

They have also found the plane's black box which contains the pilot's conversation and further search is underway to spot the second black box.

The Antonov An-140 plane, which had taken off from Kharkiv in Ukraine before refuelling in the Black Sea city of Trabzon in Turkey, crashed into Karkas ranges near the Khavas-e Tarash region in the Baqerabad village in Iran.

The cause of the crash has yet to be established, but initial reports have blamed human error and poor vision.

All those killed in the crash are said to be officials of the Antonov company which produces the twin turbo-props with a range of 2,100 kilometers before refuelling.

Several Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami, have offered condolences to Ukrainian and Russian governments and the bereaved families of the victims.

Based on latest reports, a team of Ukrainian flight experts flew to Iran Wednesday to join an investigation to establish the cause of a plane crash in which 44 people were killed late Monday in central Isfahan province.

The team is led by Ukrainian Minister of Industrial Policies Anatoli Mialytsia, the Interfax news agency said. Itar-Tass said it includes 36 experts of Transport Ministry as well as Antonov and Kharkov companies which had built the ill-fated aircraft.

They have been asked to compile a report on the disaster and present it to the Ukrainian government by June 3, 2003, the news agencies said.