Aqtau: Plane Flying from Baku to Grozny Crashed

Orda was informed about the course of the plane flying from Baku to Grozny.
This report will no longer be updated. Further updates will be in follow up articles. The article has been updated as of 18:45, 26.12.2024.
A follower sent a screenshot (Flightradar24 service) and suggested that the plane crashed near Aqtau.
We soon found out that the aircraft had disappeared from the radar.
Our source in the Department of Emergency Situations later confirmed that an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed.
The plane was flying from Baku to Grozny, but due to heavy fog in Grozny, it was redirected to Makhachkala, the Chechen airport's press service reported.
At the same time, there was a version that the plane was redirected from Grozny due to an attack by Ukrainian drones.
Khamzat Kadyrov, the Secretary of the Chechen Security Council, posted on Instagram that there had been such an attack.

A video later emerged showing holes in the plane's back end. Experts have been brought in to understand what happened.
A source in the investigation later informed Orda that all versions are being considered, including the one concerning a possible missile strike.
The President of Azerbaijan later stated that the exact reasons for the crash are unknown.
According to the information that was provided to me, the AZAL plane, flying from Baku to Grozny, changed course due to worsening weather conditions and began moving towards Aqtau airport, where the accident occurred during landing. The reasons for the crash are unknown to us, Vesti.az quotes Aliyev.
Euronews later reported, citing Azerbaijani government sources, that a preliminary investigation confirmed a Russian missile caused the crash. AnewZ and Caliber.Az revealed similar information.
Previous claims were that the plane hit either a bird or birds. There had also been reports about an oxygen cylinder exploding.
According to the information of the RSE "Kazaeronavigatsia," the aircraft made several circles over the air harbor.
After detecting steering control malfunctions, the crew declared an emergency and sent the plane to Aqtau for an emergency landing.
The Civil Aviation Committee Chair, Talgat Lastayev, later clarified that the aircraft requested entry into Kazakhstan's airspace at 11:02.
Contact with the crew was lost at 11:28, and at 11:37, the plane collided with the ground.
Reports have also indicated that a cylinder exploded on board. Another passenger, Subhonkul Rakhimov, later posted a video taken inside the plane.
It was taken shortly before the crash.
Rakhimov told RT that the pilots tried to land the plane in Grozny three times, and on the third attempt, "something exploded," and not "inside the plane."
Azattyq reports that Flightradar data does not clarify whether the plane made it to Grozny.
It shows that the plane was experiencing apparent control issues while flying from Dagestan across the Caspian Sea to Aqtau. It struggled to maintain altitude for more than an hour.
A source at the Aqtau airport informed Baza that the pilots only flew the plane with engine thrust. The elevating rudders were not operational.
One surviving passenger recorded audio saying that he “flew for two hours and waited for his death,” further suggesting that issues began long before the plane went down.
The Emergency Situations press service has reported that there are survivors: the latest reports indicate 29 have been hospitalized, and 11 are in intensive care.
An 11-year-old child has been examined in the emergency room. A 16-year-old teenager has been taken to the hospital.
Reports surfaced that doctors were preparing to operate on them.

All have varying degrees of injuries.
Reportedly, 67 people, including 5 crew members, were on board.
1 crew member and the 2 pilots did not survive.
Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev stated that 38 people died in the crash.
Rescue units are operating on the scene.
The department reports that the plane was on fire; it was extinguished, according to Azattyq.
An operational headquarters and Mangystau region Akim, Nurdaulet Kilybay are working at the scene.
The Mangystau region police department has reported that a criminal case has been launched.
A pre-trial investigation has also been launched under part 3 of Article 344 of Kazakhstan's Criminal Code, "Violation of Safety Regulations When Operating A Vehicle, Resulting In The Death of Two or More Persons."
The aircraft's black box has been included in the criminal case.
The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Police Department for Transport and the Main Transport Prosecutor's Office, as well as an investigative task force, immediately went to the scene of the incident. All the circumstances and causes of the incident are currently being established, the transport police said.
A government commission has been instructed to fly to the crash site immediately.
A commission has been established to investigate the causes of the crash of the Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Az Airlines near the Aqtau airport. The corresponding decree was signed by Olzhas Bektenov, The Cabinet of Ministers press service reported.
The commission includes the Deputy Prime Minister, Akim of the Mangystau region, the leadership of the Ministries of Emergency Situations, Transport, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Labor and Social Protection of the population, health, and the chief transport prosecutor.
The commission was instructed to immediately fly to the scene, ensure a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the crash, and take measures to provide priority assistance to the families of the dead and injured.
The Government of Kazakhstan is cooperating with the Government of Azerbaijan to conduct a comprehensive investigation and provide priority assistance.
An Azerbaijani delegation has also arrived.
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