Honoring fallen heroes: AZAL crew’s belongings immortalized in Azerbaijan’s National Museum

The personal belongings of the late crew members of the crashed AZAL aircraft— captain Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov and purser Hokuma Aliyeva—have been formally handed over to the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan.

The items, which include personal effects of the crew, were transferred by their families in a poignant ceremony, held with the participation of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) representatives, Caliber.Az reports.

The event was a somber tribute to the courage and selflessness of the crew, whose heroism in the line of duty will forever be etched in the collective memory of the Azerbaijani people.

The transfer of their personal belongings to the museum was hailed as a moment of great honor by AZAL officials. "Immortalizing the feat of our heroic crew and preserving their legacy is a source of immense pride for all of us at AZAL," a statement from the airline read.

The three crew members lost their lives during a tragic accident near Aktau, while demonstrating unwavering professionalism and bravery.

To recall, on December 25, 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, an Embraer 190AR, tragically crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, during an emergency landing attempt. The flight was en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, and carried 67 individuals, including 62 passengers and five crew members. Among the passengers, there were 42 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals. The crash claimed 38 lives, while 29 survivors, including two crew members, were rescued. Of the five crew members, three tragically lost their lives.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the aircraft was struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile "Pantsir-S1" during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack over Chechnya.

On December 28, Russia's President Vladimir Putin made a phone call to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Putin expressed condolences and apologised to Ilham Aliyev for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace. The Azerbaijani president demanded Putin bring those responsible to justice and provide compensation to Azerbaijan, as well as to the injured passengers and the families of the deceased passengers and crew members.

While Russia initially sought to obscure the true cause of the tragedy with conflicting reports, further investigation has since brought clarity to the situation.

On January 24, Caliber.Az's new findings confirmed that both the individual who fired on the plane and the officer who issued the order have been identified. Additionally, the initial report of the plane being struck by the Russian Pantsir-S1 has been verified.

The investigation also revealed that before the plane was struck, it was affected by electronic warfare (EW), which compromised the aircraft’s navigation systems and significantly hindered the crew’s ability to control the plane.

By Vafa Guliyeva