Industrial aviation is extremely protected, and there are sometimes lengthy intervals of time the place we don’t see any deadly accidents. Sadly yesterday wasn’t a kind of days, as an Azerbaijan Airways jet sure for Russia diverted to Kazakhstan, the place it crashed, killing dozens. As extra particulars emerge, it appears more and more possible {that a} missile of some kind might have been concerned.
Azerbaijan Airways E190 crashes after climate diversion
This incident occurred on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, and entails Azerbaijan Airways flight J28243, scheduled to function from Baku, Azerbaijan (GYD), to Grozny, Russia (GRV). The 301-mile flight was operated by an 11-year-old Embraer E190 with the license plate 4K-AZ65, and there have been 67 folks aboard, together with 62 passengers and 5 crew members.
Clearly some data continues to be being pieced collectively, however let’s focus on what we do know. The early a part of the flight from Baku to Grozny was routine, and the aircraft made it to close Grozny in beneath an hour, which is the standard flight time.
Nevertheless, as a consequence of fog within the space, the jet wasn’t in a position to land there, and a diversion wanted to be made. Initially the plan was to divert to Makhachkala, Russia (MCX), round 100 miles to the east. Nevertheless, that airport was closed as a consequence of drone strikes within the space, so the jet then diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan (SCO), positioned over 270 miles from Grozny, throughout the Caspian Sea. Curiously that’s mainly the identical distance from Grozny because the origin of Baku.
The aircraft tried a touchdown on runway 11 on the airport, however whereas on method, it impacted the bottom close to the runway, broke into items, and caught fireplace. That affect occurred a bit over 2hr30min after first departing Baku. In a press release, the airline describes this as an “emergency touchdown” a couple of kilometers from the airport.
The plane was topic to GPS jamming, so among the information concerning the plane’s motion aren’t fully clear, which is why the map above appears the way in which it does.
In video footage, the aircraft may be seen getting into a steep descent towards Aktau and even banking to the appropriate. That’s undoubtedly not usually the way you’d shoot an method, so clearly one thing was very flawed at this level.
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Of the 67 folks onboard, 29 folks have survived, so which means there have been 38 casualties. My ideas are with these onboard and their households. To the survivors, might they make a fast and full restoration, and to those that are deceased, might they relaxation in peace.
Azerbaijan Airways has a fleet of roughly 30 jets, and has an ideal security report up to now couple of a long time. The service’s final deadly crash was in 2005, when an Antonov An-140 crashed shortly after takeoff from Baku, whereas enroute to Aktau (the identical airport as right here). All 23 folks onboard died.
Wreckage reveals signal of shrapnel harm
What may have precipitated this horrible accident? Whereas we’ll have to attend for a full investigation, some very telling clues are already rising.
Simply shortly after the accident, Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, claimed that the aircraft had collided with birds, and was diverted to Aktau as a consequence of an emergency onboard. Nevertheless, that hasn’t in any approach been substantiated by different authorities. That assertion can’t assist however make you marvel, although…
The attention-grabbing element that has emerged is that the wreckage of the jet reveals structural impacts which might be indicative of shrapnel harm. There’s even video footage from contained in the cabin (which I received’t publish) displaying this harm. For that matter, survivors on the aircraft report listening to one thing that appeared like an explosion earlier than the pilots misplaced management of the plane, and the accident occurred.
Why would anybody attempt to take down an Azerbaijan Airways aircraft? Properly, it might not have even been intentional. There was a Ukrainian drone assault within the area earlier within the day, and Russia was making an attempt to shoot down these drones. The army within the area remained on excessive alert, and should have one way or the other mistaken this jet for a drone.
We’ll see how this investigation unfolds. If Russia is in any approach concerned right here, the reality is that we might by no means come to a consensus as to what precipitated this, given the potential cover-up.
Some outdoors drive appearing on the aircraft additionally is sensible within the context of seeing the aircraft’s path. Clearly no pilot would deliberately descend an plane so steeply whereas so near the bottom, so it’s logical that one thing had occurred to the plane. If the aircraft did in reality have a full lack of management as a consequence of being shot at, then the pilots did an outstanding job dealing with this example.
Beneath is a video from an skilled pilot, offering an evaluation of all of this.
It’s type of unbelievable how protected aviation is, and the way when one thing does go flawed, it’s typically both as a consequence of human or geopolitical components.
Backside line
An Azerbaijan Airways Embraer E190 crashed in Kazakhstan, in what can solely be described as a horrifying accident. The plane was purported to function a brief flight from Baku to Grozny, however as a consequence of dangerous climate, needed to divert. The airport it was purported to divert to was closed as a consequence of drone exercise, after which the aircraft diverted to Aktau, Kazakhstan.
For no matter motive, whereas the plane was on method to Aktau, it entered a steep descent and banked, crashing into the bottom. Whereas some passengers survived, a majority misplaced their lives. Russian authorities instantly began claiming that this emergency was as a consequence of a fowl strike. Nevertheless, the proof on the scene reveals harm patterns which might be per shrapnel harm.
What do you make of this Azerbaijan Airways crash?
