President Hassan Rouhani offered condolences to the families of the victims of the doomed flight before quickly ordering an investigation into the crash and halting all flights on similar aircraft models until the probe is complete.

The crashed plane was based on an obscure Ukrainian design that has been at the centre of previous air disasters in Iran, a country infamous for its air diasters.

Transporting a maximum of 52 passengers, the Iran-140 Sepahan Air jetliner was bound for Tabas, in the northeast of the country, but crashed after take-off from Tehran's Mehrabad airport – killing 39 people.

Latest reports suggest the remaining passengers and crew are in hospital, fighting for their lives.

A death toll that could have spiralled exponentially, had it not been for the pilot's lightning reactions.

Jalal Maleki, spokesman of Tehran's Fire Department, said: "We should be thankful to God that the pilot did all he could to steer the plane away from residential buildings and fortunately did not crash into them.

"Otherwise, we would have been dealing with a much worse crisis".

Twisted and torn, the plane's tail fin became detached from the aircraft, crashing into a nearby road.

Amongst the main fuselage wreckage, Iranian TV news reported that the bodies of some of the victims were so badly charred and burned that identification was only going to be possible using DNA tests.

Eyewitness Hassan Molla describes as he heard the roar of the plane flying in low overhead, one wing tilting dangerously.

"There was no smoke or anything," he said.

Before the explosions from the crash site he admits the plane "was absolutely sound and in good condition".

But plane crashes are far from a rare occurrence in Iran, a country still using many commercial planes bought before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

International trade sanctions were imposed on the country in the aftermath of the hostage crisis, which saw 52 Americans held hostage in Tehran for over 400 days.

As a result, many modern Iranian planes are fitted with unofficial spare parts.

Over 200 accidents involving Iranian planes have taken place during the last 25 years, leading to some 2,000 deaths.

Speaking about Flight 5915 yesterday, Iranian Lawmaker Mehrdad Lahouti condemned Sepahan Airlines stating: "This company should have not been allowed to operate the plane to avoid such a bitter incident".