Top Iranian military brass are killed in plane crash
October 1, 1981
Iran's defense minister and three other top generals, including the chief of staff and the Revolutionary Guards commander, were killed in the crash of a military transport plane carrying war dead and wounded to Tehran, the Iranian state radio reported. The crash Tuesday night of the US-made C-130 plane, believed caused by a technical problem, left Iran's armed forces virtually leaderless in the continuing war with Iraq.