AZAL Says “Physical And Technical External Interference” Involved

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) said preliminary investigations of its passenger jet that went down in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day indicate that it was brought down by “physical and technical external interference.” An official from the U.S. said that early indication suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have been involved.

The Embraer E-190 airliner crashed on the beach near Aktau in Kazakhstan, more than 200 miles across the Caspian Sea from its destination of Grozny, in Chechnya, Russia. At least 38 of the 67 people on board were killed, including both pilots and a flight attendant. Passengers on board included people from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

There have been multiple reports from several officials indicating that a Russian anti-aircraft air defense system may have been involved, and that potentially it or they may have misidentified the airliner as a long-range Ukrainian attack drone. Such drones have been deployed by Ukraine over the past few weeks.

A passenger commented that “it was obvious it had received some damage.”

Russia said that the airliner was diverted from its destination of Grozny because of Ukrainian drones in the area as well as fog.

Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, said, “Ukrainian combat drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure in the cities of Grozny and Vladikavkaz.”

Because of the drone attacks, the area’s airspace was closed and all aircraft had to leave immediately. The airliner’s pilots tried twice to land in Grozny but were unsuccessful. He was offered other airports in the vicinity but the pilot elected to go to Aktau.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in a statement on December 27 that Russian media has “lied about the cause of the crash,” and added that Moscow “forced the damaged jet to cross the sea, most likely in an attempt to conceal evidence of their crime. Photos and videos from the cabin and after the crash are a smoking gun,” and he called for a “fair and impartial investigation to ensure that those responsible are held to account.”

FMI:  www.azal.az/