Transport Ministry clarified reports of oxygen cylinder explosion in Aktau plane crash
Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport clarified statements regarding an alleged oxygen cylinder explosion on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Aktau.
According to the ministry, the information about the explosion of an oxygen cylinder onboard came from the flight operations director in Rostov at 10:53 A.M.
"The flight operations director in Rostov reported additional information to the Aktau control tower, stating that an oxygen cylinder had exploded in the passenger cabin of the aircraft, passengers were losing consciousness, and emergency medical assistance was required upon arrival. Based on this information, all rescue services were promptly notified. The sequence of events was presented during the briefing based on messages from the Rostov flight operations director," the ministry said in its statement.
Baku-Grozny plane crash near Aktau: What happened?
On December 25, a passenger plane of Azerbaijan Airlines, flight AHY8243, crashed near Aktau.
The plane took off at 08:49 A.M. Astana time from Baku airport, 11 minutes earlier than scheduled. Due to thick fog in Grozny, the plane was first rerouted to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau. Flying over the Caspian Sea, the crew gave the signal "emergency" (squawk 7700). The pilots requested an emergency landing, and the airport was preparing to accept the aircraft, but at 11:30 A.M. the plane crashed 3 kilometers from the airport.
The official cause of the incident remains unknown. Various theories are circulating in the media, including a bird strike in the aircraft's engine or an oxygen cylinder explosion in the cabin. The black box was recovered the same evening, and experts will now work on decoding its data.
Investigation
An interdepartmental investigative and operational group has been formed under the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan. The group includes specialists from the Transport Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The investigation is under the personal supervision of the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Internal Affairs. Specialists from Embraer have flown to Kazakhstan.