Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport has published a preliminary investigation report on the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer 190 aircraft accident near Aktau that occurred on Dec. 25, 2024. According to the data released, numerous punctures and partial-through damages of different shapes and sizes were found in the rear fuselage, empennage, rudder and elevators.
Similar damages were discovered on the aircraft’s left engine, left wing, as well as on accessory units and components. Several points exhibited damage with regular rectangular shapes.
The preliminary report also includes photos showing evidence that three hydraulic systems were damaged before impact. They were likely caused by external objects that penetrated the aircraft’s components. The loss of hydraulic fluid and pressure followed these failures.
«…External objects lodged in the partial-through damages were extracted for further forensic examination. As a result, a large number of foreign objects were recovered,» the report stated, accompanied by photos showing the extracted objects.
Along with the damage data, the report covers crew dialogues with air traffic controllers, information on the injured, weather conditions during the accident and at all airports discussed by the crew and a chronological retelling of events.
During one of the dialogues, the pilot reported to an air traffic controller in Grozny that two seats had exploded on board after a bird strike. This happened at 10:14 a.m. (UTC +5), an hour and 13 minutes before the ground impact near Aktau (11:27 a.m. UTC +5) and six minutes before the crew reported losing control of the airplane.
The preliminary report has mentioned neither survival factors, medical and pathology intelligence, nor the causes of the crash. Therefore, the document suggests that aviation authorities and aircraft operators assess the risks of flying over regions where GPS signal losses are recorded.
On the morning of Dec. 25, 2024, the AZAL aircraft traveling from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau, with 67 people on board, most of them Azerbaijani citizens. The death toll reached 38.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the aircraft that crashed near Aktau was damaged by a Russian air defense unit. Baku demanded Moscow to punish those responsible and pay compensation.
Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the «incident» that occurred in Russia’s airspace. He highlighted that at the time the aircraft was trying to land, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were under attack by Ukrainian drones, and «Russia’s air defense systems were repelling these attacks.»
