The deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft that occurred on December 25 in Kazakhstan was due to “external physical and technical interference” according to the initial conclusions of the investigation, the airline said on Friday, December 27. The Embraer flying between Baku and Grozny in Chechnya crashed near the town of Aktau. The accident killed 38 of the 62 passengers and five crew members on board.
The plane had suddenly changed course while flying over southern Russia where Moscow’s air defense systems have been regularly used in recent months by Ukrainian long-range drone attacks. Flight J2-8243 actually crossed the Caspian Sea before crashing in an area opposite its initial route.
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Victim of Russian anti-aircraft defense?
Four Azerbaijani sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters on December 26 that the aircraft had been shot down by mistake by a Russian missile. According to one of the sources, the plane was hit by a shot from Pantsir-S, a Russian air defense system, and its communications were “frozen” by the Russian army’s electronic jamming network while he was approaching Grozny. Asked on December 27 about these accusations, the Kremlin declared that investigations were underway and that it had nothing to add.
The Russian republics of Dagestan and Chechnya have been the target of Ukrainian drone attacks in recent months, which have prompted responses from Russian air defenses, according to Osprey Flight Solutions, a British company specializing in aviation security.
The Russian civil aviation agency (Rosaviatsia), cited by the TASS agency, declared this Friday that the pilot had diverted after two unsuccessful landing attempts in Grozny, due to thick fog and an alert to Ukrainian “terrorist” drones. The commander of the aircraft, the agency specifies, was offered several other airports to land but he opted for Aktau.
A hospitalized survivor, Soubhonkoul Rakhimov, told Reuters he heard at least one loud bang while the plane was approaching Grozny. “I thought the device was going to burst into pieces,” he said, adding that he began to pray in fear of a disastrous outcome. After the detonation, the plane behaved erratically, he said.
A passenger, Vafa Chabanova, reported to Reuters that she heard two explosions. A flight attendant then told him to go to the back of the plane. According to the two survivors, there was a depressurization problem in the cabin after the detonation. According to another testimony, that of a steward, Zulfougar Assadov, the pilot was flying in a circle above Grozny – after he had been refused landing due to fog – when detonations rang out at the airport. exterior of the cabin. He said he heard “three detonations”, including one near the left wing. “The captain told us that he had been recommended to ditch but he decided to head towards Aktau to land the plane on dry land,” testifies the steward. “He warned us that the landing would be rough, asked us to be ready and prepare the passengers.”
Video images from the crash site posted on social networks and verified by Reuters show missile fragments on the tail of the aircraft.
Azerbaijan Airlines announced on December 27 the suspension of its flights to seven Russian cities, Russian news agencies report. It will continue to operate flights to six destinations in Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to Interfax.
With Reuters (Gleb Stolaryov in Tbilisi; French version Kate Etringer and Sophie Louet, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
