Survivors and crew members from the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day reported hearing a loud bang just before the tragic accident. This has led to speculation that a Russian anti-aircraft missile could have been the cause of the crash.
The crash involved an Embraer 190 passenger jet en route from Azerbaijan to Russia. The aircraft went down near Aktau in Kazakhstan after deviating from its original path in southern Russia, a region where Moscow has previously used air defense systems to target Ukrainian attack drones. The incident resulted in the loss of at least 38 lives, with 29 individuals managing to survive.
Passenger Subhonkul Rakhimov, who was on Flight J2-8243, recounted how he started reciting prayers and preparing for the worst as soon as he heard the loud noise.
Evidence collection efforts are underway at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 27, 2024. (Meiramgul Kussainova/Anadolu via Getty Images)
On Friday, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. had seen some early indications that “would certainly point to the possibility that this jet was brought down by Russian air defense systems.” He refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.
Azerbaijani minister Rashad Nabiyev also suggested the plane was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor accounts.
Preliminary results of Azerbaijan’s probe into the fatal incident suggest the aircraft was struck by a Russian anti-aircraft missile, or shrapnel from such a missile, individuals briefed on the investigation noted, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A source familiar with Azerbaijan’s probe told Reuters that preliminary results indicated the aircraft was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system — electronic warfare systems paralyzed communications on the aircraft’s approach to Grozny, the source stated, according to the outlet.
“No one claims that it was done on purpose. However, taking into account the established facts, Baku expects the Russian side to confess to the shooting down of the Azerbaijani aircraft,” the source noted, according to Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the claims that the plane was hit by Russian air defenses, saying that it will be up to investigators to determine the cause of the crash.
Russia’s aviation watchdog said on Friday the plane had decided to reroute from its original destination in Chechnya amid dense fog and a local alert over Ukrainian drones. The agency said the captain had been offered other airports at which to land, but had chosen Kazakhstan’s Aktau.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan’s airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights to eight additional Russian airports after the tragedy.
The airline noted in a post on X that beginning Dec. 28, flights from Baku to eight Russian airports have been suspended. The announcement comes in addition to the prior suspension of flights between Baku and two other Russian airports.
Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg, Pilar Arias, Elizabeth Pritchett, the Associated Press as well as Reuters contributed to this report.
