Azerbaijani government sources confirmed on Thursday that the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau, which occurred on Wednesday, was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile. The plane was headed from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny, Russia, and crashed approximately three kilometers from Aktau International Airport in Kazakhstan.
Four sources from Azerbaijan, who are familiar with the investigation, reported the rocket attack to Reuters, reports TASR.
According to the source, Russian air defense forces actively intervened against Ukrainian drones at the time of the incident. However, the exact circumstances are under investigation.
According to sources, the missile was fired during the aerial activity of the drone over Grozny and exploded next to the aircraft in flight. The sources said the damaged plane was not allowed to land at any Russian airport despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and was instructed to fly over the Caspian Sea towards Aktau, Kazakhstan.
The accident claimed 38 lives. Rescuers hospitalized 29 people, including three children; different information was given about the number of survivors.
Preliminary reports said the crash may have been caused by a bird strike that led to engine failure and subsequent steering failure. The authorities have not yet officially confirmed the exact cause of the accidents, but several sources, including a news portal analyzing available images of the damaged fuselage, indicate that the plane could have been hit by Russian air defense systems.
According to the British company Osprey Flight Solutions, which deals with aviation security for its clients, said that “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was probably shot down by a Russian military air defense system”.
The plane took off from Baku and was diverted to Makhachkala in Dagestan due to dense fog in Grozny. While attempting an emergency landing in Aktau, the crew issued a distress signal that reported a malfunction in the control system. At 10:28 a.m. local time, the plane crashed, bursting into flames on impact and billowing thick black smoke.
Russia called for restraint on Thursday, saying that it is not correct to speculate before the conclusions of the investigation, DPA reported. “An investigation is underway, every incident in air traffic must be investigated by specialized authorities,” said the Kremlin spokesman. In the meantime, they managed to find a black box that recorded the communication of the crew, and the exact cause of the accident is being investigated.
