Azerbaijani government on Embraer plane crash: Preliminary conclusions indicate external interference
The wreckage and testimonies from witnesses suggest that there may have been external interference in the operation of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane that crashed on December 25 in Kazakhstan.
This was reported by Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, who spoke to journalists, according to Ukrinform, referencing Report.az.
According to him, immediately after the crash of the AZAL Embraer 190 aircraft, a special commission was created by the order of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The members of the commission traveled to the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan to investigate the circumstances of the crash and the condition of the survivors. They inspected the crash site and met with the affected citizens.
Nabiyev noted that the passengers and flight attendants who survived reported hearing an explosion sound over Grozny. "One of the flight attendants was injured in the arm. Also, from footage on social media and news outlets, it is visible that one woman suffered injuries to her arm and leg. There were holes found in the wing of the aircraft, and inside the aircraft, damage to the fuselage and shrapnel marks were recorded. Russian citizens who were affected also reported hearing three explosions over Grozny. According to them, the explosion sounds came from outside, after which something hit the plane," said the minister.
He added that after the crash, there was speculation in the media that the plane collided with birds. "However, preliminary conclusions from experts suggest that there was external interference. This is indicated by the wreckage of the plane on the ground and eyewitness accounts. The type of weapon used during the interference will be determined by the investigation," Nabiyev stated.
The minister pointed out that the analysis of the flight trajectory reveals that the plane changed its course to Aktau via Makhachkala. "Moreover, the investigation will establish why the pilot decided to make an emergency landing. There is also a need to clarify the issue of the GPS being turned off on board the aircraft," he said.
The official emphasized that Kazakhstani officials refer to the theory of an oxygen tank explosion, which was proposed by a dispatcher in Rostov. "We believe that the authenticity of this information needs to be verified, as it was provided by an interested party. Meanwhile, facts such as the explosion sounds coming from outside the aircraft contradict this version," the minister added.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, on December 25, an Embraer passenger plane operating flight J2-8243 crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The Embraer was flying from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny in southern Chechnya, then deviated from its course hundreds of kilometers over the Caspian Sea. It crashed on the opposite shore of the Caspian. The closest Russian airport along the flight path, Makhachkala, was closed.
38 of the 67 people on board the plane died.
Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that the plane was shot down by a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system.
AZAL announced on Friday the suspension of flights to eight additional cities in Russia.