Azerbaijan involves Turkish experts in investigation of Aktau plane crash

Azerbaijan has enlisted Turkish specialists to assist in the investigation of the tragic plane crash that occurred near the Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024, involving an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer aircraft travelling from Baku to Grozny, Caliber.Az reports via APA.

The crash claimed the lives of 38 people, while 29 passengers survived. Five crew members were also on board. Following the incident, Russia and Kazakhstan proposed an investigation led by the International Aviation Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). However, Azerbaijani authorities declined this suggestion, according to local sources.

Azerbaijan has insisted on an international investigation team, which will include experts from Embraer. Additionally, Baku has demanded that the "black box" of the aircraft be analyzed by this expert group.

Caliber.Az sourced from within the Azerbaijani government has learnt that preliminary findings suggest that the aircraft was downed by Russia’s Pantsir-S air defense system while it was approaching Grozny. Further reports indicate that Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems caused a complete failure of the plane’s communication system, leading it to disappear from radar within Russian airspace, only to reappear over the Caspian Sea.

Russian officials have stated that their air defence systems were targeting Ukrainian drones at the time. The head of the Chechen Republic Security Council, Khamzat Kadyrov, confirmed a drone strike on Grozny on the morning of the crash but reported no casualties or damage. However, concerns remain about why Russian authorities failed to close airspace for civilian flights during a period of heightened military activity.

The aircraft was also denied permission to land at Grozny airport and at airports in Makhachkala and Mineralnye Vody, leading it to be redirected to Aktau, Kazakhstan. Although some reports speculate that the plane may have been targeted for a crash into the Caspian Sea, these claims remain unconfirmed. Witnesses reported air defence system involvement and two passengers were injured by shrapnel during the incident.

Azerbaijan expects Russia to take responsibility for the incident, issue a formal apology, and conduct a full investigation into the events surrounding the crash.

By Tamilla Hasanova