Azerbaijan Plane Carrying 67 Passengers Crashes In Kazakhstan; 28 Survivors (X image @JamilKhabir396)
A passenger plane from Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near the Aktau city of Kazakhstan, said the country’s Emergencies Ministry. The Embraer 190 plane was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grzony in Russia’s Chechnya. It was rerouted due to fog in Grozny. Sixty-two passengers were onboard the plane along with five crew members. The plane has transmitted a distress signal before the crash due to a collision with a flock of birds and a steering malfunction, said media report.
“According to preliminary information, there are 28 survivors of whom 22 have been hospitalised,” the ministry said on Telegram. Video footage showed the aircraft rapidly losing altitude and started banking to its right. It crashed into an open field and burst into fire. The crash happened near the airport. Reportedly, the plane took several circles, requesting an emergency landing, but it stalled and crashed.
Read Also : Why Sunita Williams Couldn’t Return On SpaceX Homebound Capsule?
According to Kazakh transport ministry, 37 of the plane’s passengers were from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia, AFP reported.
BREAKING: Azerbaijan Airlines flight traveling from Baku to Grozny crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after reportedly requesting an emergency landing pic.twitter.com/hB5toqEFe2
— RT (@RT_com) December 25, 2024
The pilots tried to gain speed and altitude until the very end, but the controls completely failed in the end. Another video of the plane showed the it trying to gain altitude. It rapidly ascends but starts stalling. Later the pilot tries to control the aircraft to gain height. The aircraft started circling near the airport and later crashed.
“The Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flight numbered J2-8243 on the Baku-Grozny route, made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometres near the city of Aktau. Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public,” Azerbaijan Airlines said.
Ambulances rushed to the site, and people onboard were seen taken out through emergency exit located at the rear end of the aircraft. The aircraft registration number, 4K-AZ65, as visible in the video matches the data available on FlightRadar24. According to the website, the aircraft was exposed to “strong GPS jamming, which made the aircraft transmit bad ADS-B data”.
Flight #J28243 that crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan is an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer ERJ-190 with registration 4K-AZ65.#J28243 took off from Baku at 03:55 UTC time and was flying to Grozny. The aircraft was exposed to strong GPS jamming which made the aircraft… pic.twitter.com/rM1Q0jmMPt
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 25, 2024
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is an advanced surveillance technology that combines an aircraft’s positioning source, aircraft avionics, and ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between aircraft and Air Traffic Control.
Authorities in Kazakhstan said a government commission had been set up to investigate what had happened and its members ordered to fly to the site and ensure that the families of the dead and injured were getting the help they needed.
