Aktau, Kazakhstan – An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 carrying 67 passengers and crew crashed on Wednesday near Aktau in western Kazakhstan, resulting in 38 fatalities and 29 survivors. The incident was reported by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbaev during a meeting with Azerbaijani officials, as per the Russian news agency Interfax.
The aircraft, originally en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, was forced to divert due to heavy fog in Grozny, leading to an attempted emergency landing approximately two miles from Aktau airport. Initial reports from the scene suggested that a bird strike might have contributed to the emergency situation, according to a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.
The Kazakh Emergency Ministry initially reported 25 survivors, a number which was updated several times throughout the rescue operations, eventually confirming 29 survivors, reducing the death toll from earlier estimates. The Prosecutor General’s Office in Azerbaijan, however, had earlier claimed at least 32 survivors, indicating that the count was not yet final.
The flight’s passenger list included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russians, six Kazakhs, and three from Kyrgyzstan. Both pilots were confirmed deceased by emergency workers, according to Interfax.
Footage from the crash site showed the aircraft in a steep descent before impact, with subsequent videos revealing the devastation with parts of the fuselage detached and the plane lying inverted in the grass. Social media was rife with videos of survivors assisting others away from the wreckage.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated erratic behavior of the plane in its last moments, with the aircraft experiencing significant altitude changes and being subjected to “strong GPS jamming” which affected its ADS-B data transmission. This has raised concerns about possible external interference, with Russia previously being accused of GPS jamming in the region.
Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation into potential causes, including technical issues. Azerbaijan Airlines has promised to provide updates and has altered its social media presence to black as a mark of mourning.
This tragic event has underscored the ongoing challenges of air safety, particularly in regions with reported GPS interference and adverse weather conditions.