Kazakhstan Releases Preliminary Report on AZAL Embraer 190 Crash

Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry has released a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of an Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL).

According to the report, the passenger aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny route on December 25, 2024, made two unsuccessful landing attempts at Grozny Airport in Russia, leading the flight crew to decide on returning to Baku.

During the flight over Grozny, data recovered from the black box recorded a sonic boom, followed by alerts indicating the shutdown of the autopilot and automatic regulator. This led to a failure of the aircraft’s primary control system.

“Hydraulic System 3 pressure dropped to zero, and its fluid level decreased to 0%. The flight control surfaces became locked in a neutral position and remained in that state until the crash. A trim system failure was detected. Cabin depressurization occurred, triggering an emergency alarm. Hydraulic System 1 pressure dropped to zero, and its fluid level also fell to 0%,” the report states.

According to the report, the crew then decided to proceed with an emergency landing at Aktau Airport, the designated alternative airfield. The aircraft, significantly damaged over Grozny, ultimately suffered a fatal crash near Aktau Airport.

The report further states that the Investigation Commission, which includes authorized representatives from the law enforcement agencies of Brazil, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, has recovered numerous foreign objects from heavily damaged sections of the aircraft.

The commission confirmed that further examinations and expert analyses are underway to determine the nature and origin of the perforations caused by these external objects.

A preliminary inspection of the wreckage revealed multiple non-penetrative and open structural damages in the rear fuselage, vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, elevator, and rudder. Similar damage was observed on the left engine and left wing. Some areas of the aircraft’s units and components exhibited rectangular-shaped damage patterns. A visual inspection of the perforations indicated that some impacts created complete holes, photographs of which have been included in the preliminary report.

Experts from the Brazilian Air Force’s Center for Aircraft Accident Investigation (CENIPA) conducted a preliminary analysis of the aircraft’s black boxes. The decoding of the flight data recorders was completed on January 7, 2025, and the data was transferred to Kazakhstan on January 15.

Meanwhile, Reuters, citing a senior Azerbaijani government official, reported that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the disaster.

“The Azerbaijani side possesses a fragment of a Pantsir-S missile, which was extracted from the aircraft and identified through international expertise,” the source told Reuters.

Following the publication of the preliminary investigation report, the Russian Presidential Administration declined to comment on the findings.

“This is a preliminary report. Naturally, our relevant authorities will study it with the necessary attention and diligence. However, it is not possible for the Russian Presidential Administration to comment on this matter, and we do not consider it appropriate to do so,” Trend quoted Russian Presidential Aide Dmitri Peskov as saying.

On December 25, 2024, an AZAL Embraer 190 aircraft operating the Baku-Grozny flight made a forced emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, resulting in a fatal crash. Sixty-seven people were on board, including five crew members. Thirty-eight passengers, including three crew members, died, while 29 survived.

After the plane crash, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) reported that an "Embraer 190" aircraft, operating the Baku-Grozny flight on December 25 had crashed due to physical and technical external interference.

The witnesses, including injured passengers and surviving flight attendants, reported hearing explosion sounds over Grozny, with one flight attendant sustaining arm injuries and another passenger wounded in the arm and leg. Russian nationals on board also corroborated hearing three explosions and reported that the sound appeared to originate externally, followed by impacts on the aircraft.

On December 26, 2024, Azerbaijani government sources told Euronews that a Russian anti-aircraft missile, presumably fired from a Pantsir-S air defense system, caused the plane crash. Initial data suggested a surface-to-air missile strike during drone hunt above Grozny. The plane’s GPS navigation systems were jammed in Russian airspace. Russian media reported that the flight time matched Russian air defense attempts to neutralize Ukrainian UAVs. Chechnya authorities have confirmed an active drone attack on the same day.

Azerbaijan's President Aliyev demanded an official apology from Russia, the punishment of those responsible, and compensation for the victims and damages.

On December 28, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident, acknowledging that it had occurred within Russian airspace.