Emergency specialists work on the crash web site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet close to the western Kazakh metropolis of Aktau on December 25, 2024. The Embraer 190 plane was presupposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to town of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia, however as an alternative diverted far off target throughout the Caspian Sea. It crashed on December 25, 2024 close to town of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
Issa Tazhenbayev | Afp | Getty Images
An investigation into the lethal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan earlier this week got here after the passenger airplane skilled “bodily and technical exterior interference,” the provider mentioned on Friday.
The Embraer 190 crashed close to the Kazakh metropolis of Aktau on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 folks on board whereas en route from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Russia.
According to a U.S. official, early proof indicated the airplane could have been struck by a Russian anti-aircraft system.
Two U.S. navy officers informed NBC News on Friday that the U.S. has intelligence indicating that the Russians could have misidentified the Azerbaijani airliner and shot it down.
The intelligence suggests the Russians believed it was a drone and engaged their air defenses, partially due to the plane’s irregular flight sample and altitude, the officers mentioned. Both careworn that an investigation remains to be ongoing.
On Thursday, Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer on the aviation safety agency Osprey Flight Solutions, informed NBC News that “the flight was probably shot down by a Russian air protection system.”
At the time of the incident, Russian air protection forces had been defending in opposition to a Ukrainian military-grade weaponized drone assault that concerned Russia capturing down drones, he mentioned.
While Russian officers have cautioned against speculation about what triggered the flight to crash, on Friday, the nation’s aviation authority mentioned the state of affairs round Grozny, Chechnya, was “very difficult” when the airplane was diverted to Kazakhstan the place it crashed.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority, cited the presence of “Ukrainian fight drones” round Grozny. Chechnya is near Ukraine and the ongoing war with Russia.
Rosaviatsia additionally reported that dense fog within the space of Grozny airport meant there was no visibility at an altitude of about 1,600 ft. The pilot was provided different airports, however selected to proceed to the Kazakh metropolis of Aktau after two unsuccessful makes an attempt to land in Grozny, in accordance with a press release issued by Dmitry Yadrov, head of Rosaviatsia.
On Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines mentioned it had additionally suspended flights from Baku to 5 further Russian airports. This choice follows the suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, launched on Wednesday.
“The suspension will stay in impact till the completion of the ultimate investigation,” in accordance with a press release posted on the airline’s Telegram channel on Friday.
