Azerbaijan marks 29th anniversary of its worst aviation disaster that claimed 52 lives

December 5, 2024, marks 29 years since Azerbaijan experienced the deadliest air crash in its history, an incident that claimed 52 lives and left an indelible mark on the nation.

On this day in 1995, a Tu-134B passenger aircraft operated by AZAL (Azerbaijan Airlines), flight number 56 from Nakhchivan to Baku, crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of 52 people, Caliber.Az reports.

The aircraft carried 76 passengers and six crew members. Just minutes into the flight, at an altitude of 60 meters, one of the plane's engines failed. A tragic error compounded the situation when the flight engineer mistakenly shut down the second, functional engine.

Faced with a dire emergency, the pilot attempted a forced landing, prioritizing the avoidance of residential areas. However, the plane entered a steep bank and lost altitude rapidly. It crash-landed in an open field in the Khatai (Sovetabad) district of Nakhchivan, striking power lines upon impact, which triggered a fire.

Among the 82 people on board, 52, including four crew members, perished. Remarkably, 30 passengers survived the catastrophic event.

By Khagan Isayev