Survivor tells AP that 1 engine went out before Iranian airplane crash that killed 39

Iranian rescue personnel work at the site of a passenger plane crash near the capital Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. The Sepahan Air Iran-140 regional plane crashed Sunday killing tens of people onboard, shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Mehrabad airport on its way to Tabas, a town in eastern Iran, state media reported. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (The Associated Press)

A firefighting crane lifts the tail section of a passenger plane which crashed near the capital Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. The Sepahan Air Iran-140 regional plane crashed Sunday killing tens of people onboard, shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Mehrabad airport on its way to Tabas, a town in eastern Iran, state media reported. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (The Associated Press)

Iranian security and rescue personnel inspect the site of a passenger plane crash near the capital Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. An Iranian passenger plane crashed Sunday while taking off from an airport near the capital, killing tens of people onboard, state media reported. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (The Associated Press)

A survivor in the Iranian airplane crash that killed 39 people has told The Associated Press that one of the engines in the turboprop went out before it crashed.

Mohammad Abedzadeh said Monday that he saw the propeller not turning on as it ascended after takeoff Sunday from Tehran's Mehrabad airport.

The IrAn-140 operated by domestic carrier Sepahan Air crashed in a residential area near the airport, killing 39 people and injuring nine onboard.

Investigators continued to search Monday for the crash's cause.

Ali Reza Jahangirian, the country's Civil Aviation chief, told state television that one engine did go out, but the plane should have been able to fly. However, he said the reason for the crash will be determined once officials analyze data from the airplane's black boxes.