Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash: everything you need to know about the accident that killed 38 people on board

Last update:December 27, 2024, 11:33 p.m. IST

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku, Azerbaijan, traveled hundreds of kilometers from its intended route to Grozny, in Russia’s southern Chechnya region, and crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea .

Azerbaijan Airlines flight traveling from Baku to Grozny crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan

A jetliner operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the town of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, after diverting from a region of southern Russia where Moscow has repeatedly used air defense systems against Ukrainian attack drones.

At least 38 people were killed and 29 survived.

Here’s what we know so far:

What happened?

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, traveled hundreds of kilometers from its intended route to Grozny, in Russia’s southern Chechnya region, and crashed the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, approximately 3 km (1.8 miles) from Aktau in Kazakhstan.

It is unclear why the plane veered hundreds of kilometers over the Caspian Sea.

Russia’s aviation watchdog said Friday the plane decided to divert from its original destination amid heavy fog and a local alert about Ukrainian drones.

What caused the crash?

This is not yet known as an official investigation is underway.

Four sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan’s investigation told Reuters on Thursday that Russian air defenses shot it down by mistake. Photos of the plane wreckage showed what appeared to be shrapnel damage to the plane’s tail.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that he had nothing to add and did not want to give any assessment until the official investigation had released its findings.

Russia’s aviation watchdog said Wednesday the emergency may have been caused by a bird strike. Russia said it was important to wait until the official investigation was complete to understand what happened.

On Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines said preliminary results of an investigation showed the plane suffered “external physical and technical interference,” without giving details.

Two passengers on the plane told Reuters there was at least one loud bang as the plane approached its original destination, Grozny.

Investigation

Kazakhstan is leading the investigation which will be conducted in accordance with international rules known throughout the industry by their legal name “Annex 13”, governed by the United Nations aviation body ICAO.

The plane’s black box, which contains flight data helping to determine the cause of the accident, has been found, Interfax reported on Wednesday.

The governments of the passengers and crew on board – Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian and Kyrgyz – as well as Brazil, home to aircraft manufacturer Embraer, will likely be involved. The United States, where the plane’s engine was manufactured, could also participate.

Brazil sent three air force investigators to Kazakhstan to assist in the investigation. Embraer representatives are also on the ground, according to the president of Kazakhstan, local media reported.

In accordance with the guidelines in Annex 13, a preliminary report will be published within 30 days of the incident and a final report within 12 months.

It took more than a year for Iran’s civil aviation to release the final report on the accidental downing of a plane in Iran.

Is there any precedent for this type of incident?

If confirmed, it would be the third major fatal airliner accident linked to armed conflict since 2014, according to the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network, a global database of accidents and of incidents.

Previous disasters include the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in 2020 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, killing all 176 people on board.

In 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian BUK missile system, resulting in the loss of 298 passengers and crew.

Azerbaijan’s civil aviation body said flights from Baku to Russia would be suspended for security reasons until the final report was published. Flydubai has suspended flights to two airports in southern Russia since the accident.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)