Kazakhstan releases preliminary findings on Azerbaijani plane crash Details

The government commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, investigating the causes of the Embraer 190 plane crash operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) on flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, has released a preliminary report on the tragedy that occurred on December 25, 2024, near the city of Aktau.

To recall, the crash claimed the lives of 38 out of the 67 people on board, including both pilots and one flight attendant. A total of 29 people were rescued, among them two flight attendants.

The commission, alongside representatives from Kazakhstan, included specialists from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Brazil. Experts conducted a detailed analysis of the flight recorders and other technical data, allowing them to reconstruct the chronology of events leading up to the tragedy.

Caliber.Az presents the details of the investigation:

Experts recorded numerous damages of various sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, the vertical stabiliser, the horizontal stabiliser, as well as on the elevators and rudder.

Similar damage was found on the left engine, left wing, hydraulic system, as well as on various components and individual parts of the aircraft. In some areas, the damage has a distinct rectangular shape.

Some of the recovered metallic objects were extracted from the No. 3 hydraulic system compartment and the stabiliser control mechanism.

The report also includes examples of other retrieved metallic objects.

But one of the most crucial points in the report: note that issues on board began at 05:13, while the "Carpet" plan was mentioned at 05:21. Screenshots above. This means the "Carpet" plan was announced eight minutes after the tragedy.

Russian media have already started claiming that the "Carpet" plan was announced. Yes, it was—but only after the Azerbaijani aircraft was struck.

P.S. Regarding mentions of the "Carpet" plan before 05:21, we emphasise that these were internal communications on the Russian side and had no connection to the black boxes. In other words, the aircraft was never warned of any danger.

Among the passengers were 42 Azerbaijanis, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three Kyrgyz nationals. The crash resulted in 38 fatalities. Of the five crew members, three died, and two survived. Initial investigations point to a Russian surface-to-air missile striking the aircraft while attempting to intercept a Ukrainian drone over Chechnya.

On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to offer condolences and apologize for the tragedy, which occurred in Russian airspace. President Aliyev demanded that those responsible be held accountable and that compensation be provided to Azerbaijan, the injured passengers, and the families of those who perished.