Iran blames air defence operator error for 2020 Ukraine plane crash: final report Posted 4 updated 4 MarMarch 2021 at 8:47pm Rescue workers search the scene where the Ukraine International plane was shot down, south-west of Iran's capital Tehran. ( Share Print text only Cancel Iran's civil aviation body says an error by an air defence operator led to the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020. Key points: The report said a radar mistake led to the plane being identified as hostile Ukraine has rejected the report's findings All 176 people on board died. "The plane was identified as a hostile target due to a mistake by the air defence operator … near Tehran and two missiles were fired at it," the aviation body's report said.