Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer SA 190 aircraft was damaged by Russian air defense systems near Grozny before it crashed in Kazakhstan during an attempted emergency landing, according to Azerbaijan government-backed Caliber news website. (Image: DC)
Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer SA 190 aircraft was damaged by Russian air defense systems near Grozny before it crashed in Kazakhstan during an attempted emergency landing, according to Azerbaijan government-backed Caliber news website.
The plane was struck by Russian air defense while approaching Grozny, Chenchnya, Caliber cited unidentified government officials as saying. As a result of the use of electronic warfare systems by the Russians, the aircraft’s communication system was completely paralyzed, the state-backed news website reported.
Azerbaijan’s presidential office and the country’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately provide a comment when reached by phone. Russia’s defense ministry didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday declined to comment on the Caliber report. He had urged all parties to wait for the end of the investigation instead of speculating on the cause of the crash, Interfax reported earlier.
The aircraft was carrying 62 passengers and five crew members from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, when it changed course to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan, the Azeri state-owned carrier said in a statement on Wednesday. The plane came down about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Kazakh authorities said that a rescue team has recovered 38 bodies at the crash site as clean-up efforts continue. As many as 29 people survived the crash and are in the hospital, Kazakhstan Emergency Situations Ministry said Thursday. Rescuers have also retrieved the flight recorders, which should help to determine the cause of the crash.
Representatives of Embraer SA and Brazil’s aviation accident investigation and prevention agency CENIPA are headed to Kazakhstan, the country’s authorities said. The planemaker said Wednesday it was following the situation and is focused on supporting authorities.
The flight had initially been diverted to Makhachkala on Russia’s Caspian Sea coast because of fog, and then on to Aktau, according to the Tass news service. The Kazakh city is about 310 kilometers east of Makhachkala, across the water.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported claims from Ukraine and aviation safety consultants Osprey that the plane could have been damaged by Russian anti-missile systems. Both Grozny and Makhachkala had earlier been targeted by the Ukrainian drones.
The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported claims from Ukraine and aviation safety consultants Osprey that the plane could have been damaged by Russian anti-missile systems. Both Grozny and Makhachkala had earlier been targeted by the Ukrainian drones.
If confirmed, the mid-air strike by a missile would bear similarities to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 that killed all 298 people on board. At the time, investigators established that a Russian missile had been fired at the Boeing 777 passenger aircraft while it traversed Ukrainian air space, a finding that Russia has disputed.
Azerbaijan Airlines earlier on Thursday declined to comment on the speculation about the cause of the crash. “A detailed investigation is under way at the moment,” Azerbaijan Airlines President Samir Rzayev told reporters in Baku on Thursday. The Embraer 190 plane underwent full technical inspection in October and had no technical issues, Rzayev said.
The airline also said it’s suspending flights to both Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation is complete, without elaborating.
The airline also said it’s suspending flights to both Grozny and Makhachkala until the investigation is complete, without elaborating.
“It is highly unusual that an airline closes all its flights to the region. This indicates that they might suspect that the whole aerial space in that region is unsafe,” said Moscow-based independent aviation expert and pilot Andrei Litvinov.
( Source : Bloomberg )
Next Story
