Kazakhstan completes AZAL plane expert reviews, finalizing technical findings

Kazakhstan has received all expert reports from equipment manufacturers required for the technical investigation into the crash of the AZAL aircraft in Aktau in December 2024, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said while speaking to journalists, Report informs.

Bozumbayev noted that the international commission he heads, which includes Azerbaijan, continues its investigation into the AZAL Baku–Grozny flight crash.

"The investigation is ongoing. All necessary expert assessments from equipment manufacturers - including GPS trackers, navigation systems, and the aircraft manufacturer - have been received. The results are now being finalized," he said.

Bozumbayev stressed that the commission includes experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, as well as representatives of Embraer and an international civil aviation body. "In accordance with international standards, Kazakhstan must finalize the technical findings within the next few months," he added.

Regarding the legal aspect, Bozumbayev said that Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office is "awaiting questions from the Russian Federation," adding that Russian law enforcement authorities "should probably draw certain conclusions."

According to the deputy prime minister, the technical commission's findings will clarify all key questions surrounding the tragedy. "When it was hit, why it crashed, what caused it - all of this will be described step by step in the official report in line with international regulations," he said.

On December 25, 2024, an Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), performing flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, crashed 3 km from Aktau in Kazakhstan.

Preliminary findings indicate that while approaching Grozny, the aircraft was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system. Besides, the aircraft's communication systems were reportedly fully disrupted due to electronic warfare measures, causing it to disappear from radar over Russian airspace.

There were 67 people on board the aircraft (62 passengers and 5 crew members), including 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian citizens, 6 Kazakh citizens, and 3 Kyrgyz citizens.

As a result of the crash, 38 people were killed while 29 survived. Among those killed were the aircraft's captain Igor Kshnyakin, co-pilot Alexander Kalyaninov, and flight attendant Hokuma Aliyeva.