Kazakh commission to release preliminary findings on AZAL plane crash within 30 day

Kazakhstan’s government commission investigating the crash of an AZAL passenger plane near the city of Aktau has announced that it will release preliminary results within 30 days.

The announcement was made by Talgat Lastaev, the Deputy Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan and a member of the commission, during an interview with Kazinform news agency, Caliber.Az reports.

According to Lastaev, the investigation is following standard protocols, which include the release of initial or interim findings within 30 days of the incident. "In general, according to standards, preliminary or interim results of the investigation are announced within 30 days," he stated in response to questions about the timeline for the commission’s first report.

The investigation is currently in its field stage, where experts are collecting key evidence from the crash site, including fragments of the aircraft and prints from the scene. Impressions of the wreckage are also being taken. All collected materials are being transported to a specially organized hangar at Aktau Airport for further analysis by the investigation team.

Lastaev expressed confidence that the black boxes of the crashed Embraer 190 aircraft, which were sent to Brazil for analysis, would provide vital information on the cause of the tragedy. The flight data recorders are now being examined at the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aircraft Accidents in Brazil.

The AZAL passenger plane, operating the Baku-Grozny route, crashed on December 25, 2024, near Aktau. The crash resulted in the deaths of 38 passengers out of the 67 people on board, with 29 survivors. Preliminary reports suggest that external physical and technical factors may have contributed to the crash, though the investigation is ongoing.