Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 (ERJ-190, 4K-AZ65) crashed near Aktau Airport, Kazakhstan on Wednesday 25 December 2024 06:28 UTC, while attempting an emergency landing.
The flight had departed from Baku International Airport and was originally bound for Grozny, Russia, but adverse weather conditions is believed to have prompted diversions.
62 passengers and 5 crew were on board of the aircraft (67 Total). 32 were rescued alive. Kazakhstan's Health Services report, 28 survivors were taken to hospitals, 7 of them are in intensive care.
There is speculation that the aircraft may have been struck by a Pantsir-S2 system missile, potentially the 57E6-E. This missile, designed for precision targeting, uses a proximity fuse to detonate its 20KG continuous rod fragmentation warhead containing 5KG of explosives near to the aircraft instead of a direct hit, to pepper the target with shrapnel to shred critical systems, which could explain the damage observed on the aircraft’s tail section.
Such a detonation might have compromised the tailplane and horizontal stabilizer, leading to hydraulic failure, failure of flight controls and ultimately loss of control.
While these points provide a potential explanation, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. (Updated 26/12/24)
