Kazakhstan continues in-depth investigation into AZAL crash

The Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan continues to investigate the causes of the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane, which occurred near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25 last year while en route from Baku to Grozny, said Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Galymzhan Koigeldiyev.

The most experienced employees have been involved in the investigation, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakh media.

"The investigation is underway, the investigative team is made up of the most experienced employees, examinations have been scheduled. The case is not simple, as you know. We are waiting for the results," Koygeldiev said, answering a question about the investigation into the crash.

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 three crew members, were rescued. Of the five crew members, three tragically lost their lives, and two survived.

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 Khagan Isayev