Tengrinews.kz - Azerbaijan Airlines announced that, based on preliminary data, the crash of the plane near Aktau was caused by physical and technical external interference.
This information was included in the company’s statement regarding the suspension of flights to seven Russian cities.
"This decision, made in accordance with the Azerbaijan State Civil Aviation Authority, is based on the preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines due to physical and technical external interference and considers potential risks to flight safety. The suspension will remain in effect until the completion of the final investigation," the airline's statement reads.
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, 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.
