Preliminary Report on AZAL Plane Crash in Kazakhstan Released
Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan Releases Preliminary Report on Azerbaijan Airlines Flight Crash
The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan has recently published a preliminary report suggesting that the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight near Aktau airport may have been caused by the impact of an external object. The detailed 53-page document presents the initial findings of the investigation into the aviation accident that took place on December 25.
The flight, which involved an Embraer 190 aircraft, was en route from Baku to Grozny when the tragic incident occurred. The report emphasizes that the information provided is preliminary and subject to updates as the investigation progresses and more materials are reviewed. A final report on the causes of the aviation incident will be issued once the investigation is complete.
According to the report, the commission is currently conducting a thorough examination of the damage to the aircraft’s structures. Initial inspections of the recovered parts revealed various types of damage, including on the fuselage’s tail section, the wing, the stabilizer, and the altitude and direction control surfaces. The report also mentions damage on the left engine, left wing, and several other components, some of which had a rectangular shape.
Additionally, the report confirms that the aircraft’s hydraulic system was damaged, potentially due to an external object impact. It includes details of the conversation between the pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as data regarding the airports and weather conditions at the time of the accident.
The crash, which resulted in 38 fatalities, occurred during an emergency landing near Aktau. Euronews and Reuters reported that the incident may have been caused by Russia’s air defense systems, although no official cause has been determined yet. Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the tragedy in Russian airspace, with Aliyev calling on Russia to take responsibility for the plane crash.
In the aftermath of the AZAL crash, several foreign airlines canceled flights to Russia, and Azerbaijan Airlines suspended flights to multiple Russian cities. Data from the black boxes of the aircraft has been sent to a special commission in Kazakhstan for analysis. The flight data, recovered in Brazil, is currently being studied by experts in Kazakhstan, with the Ministry of Transport announcing that preliminary findings of the investigation will be released within 30 days.
