Tragedy not forgotten: one year after the plane crash near Aktau
Tengrinews.kz – Exactly one year ago, a passenger plane operating the Baku–Grozny flight crashed near Aktau. The tragedy claimed the lives of dozens of people and became one of the most discussed air disasters in the region. Tengrinews.kz has compiled everything that is known about the incident.
What happened on 25 December
On 25 December, a passenger aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines operating flight AHY8243 from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russia) crashed near Aktau. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board. As a result of the crash, dozens of people were killed; 29 passengers survived, many were seriously injured.
The aircraft took off from Baku Airport at 08:49 Astana time, 11 minutes ahead of schedule. Due to dense fog in Grozny, the plane was first diverted to Makhachkala and then to Aktau.
While flying over the Caspian Sea, the crew transmitted a “mayday” / “emergency” signal (squawk 7700). The pilots requested an emergency landing; the airport was preparing to receive the aircraft, but at 11:30 it crashed three kilometers from the airport.
The official cause will be announced after the investigation is completed. The black box was found on the evening of the same day, and international experts were brought in to decode it.
Timeline of the last minutes
According to the preliminary report of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, the first serious problems arose at 05:13:31 according to the onboard recorders: an impact was recorded and the autopilot disengaged. A few seconds later, a second impact occurred. At 05:14:58, the captain used the internal communication system to contact the cabin crew to clarify the situation:
“Two seats exploded, I can't get closer because the passengers are standing, I'm trying to seat them,” the flight attendant reported.
Document of the Ministry of Transport of the RK
Initially, the pilots assumed a bird strike and began looking for the nearest airfield with suitable weather conditions. Subsequently, the aircraft partially lost controllability, and the depressurization alarm in the cabin went off several times. At 06:02 the crew first contacted Aktau air traffic controllers and transmitted a distress signal. The decision to head there was made due to favorable weather conditions.
Investigation
A joint interagency investigative task force headed by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan was set up in connection with the crash. It includes specialists from the transport prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as representatives of the aircraft manufacturer Embraer and CENIPA (the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents, Brazil).
The investigation is being conducted in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is led by Kazakhstan as the state on whose territory the tragedy occurred. Specialists from Azerbaijan and Russia, representatives of Embraer and international experts are also involved in the work.
As Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev has stated, the investigation is divided into two parts. The criminal component is being handled by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan together with Russian colleagues, while the technical part is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport.
““The Ministry of Transport is in the final stages of the investigation. We are now awaiting the final conclusion from the licensors or technology owners — air navigation instruments and so on. In principle, the Ministry of Transport will be ready to finalize the report, possibly this year or early next year,” Bozumbayev noted.
According to him, there is also “progress” on the part of the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the authorities hope to complete their work next year.
Former Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev previously clarified that a stage of detailed analysis of the collected materials is underway. As part of this work, Kazakh and foreign specialists have visited Baku, Grozny and Rostov-on-Don.
Preliminary findings and versions
On 4 February, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport published a preliminary report. It contains photos of the aircraft damage, a reconstruction of the flight after the emergency situation arose, as well as fragments of communications between the crew and air traffic controllers, including the moment when the Kovyor (Carpet) plan – a procedure for closing the airspace – was declared.
The final cause of the crash has not yet been named. Various versions are being discussed in the media and among experts. Azerbaijani and international outlets, including Euronews and Reuters, have written about possible external interference.
On 28 December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his apologies in connection with the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace, and once again expressed deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
On 29 December 2024, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijani civilian aircraft had sustained damage from the outside and had virtually lost control. According to him, the aircraft was rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare systems.
In addition, the President of Azerbaijan announced that demands had been put forward to Russia.
Later, information appeared that Azerbaijan was carrying out preparatory work to file a case with an international court over the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft near Aktau.
In October of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, commented on the crash of the AZAL aircraft near Aktau. According to the Russian president, the two missiles launched by their air defense system did not directly hit the AZAL plane but “exploded several meters away, approximately ten.”
"The AZAL plane was most likely hit by debris rather than the explosive warheads," Putin stated.
How many passengers were on board
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board:
42 citizens of Azerbaijan;
16 citizens of Russia;
6 citizens of Kazakhstan;
3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
Among the survivors are citizens of Azerbaijan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. A total of 29 people survived. There were no survivors among the Kazakh citizens.
List of deceased Kazakh citizens:
Sandibek Ekibaevich Tulesinov, born 16.11.1988, originally from Mangystau Region, resided in Zhanaozen.
Bauyrzhan Jumabaevich Jumagulov, born 30.09.1985, originally from Mangystau Region, resided in Zhanaozen.
Galina Rustambekovna Makhsudova, born 12.01.1978, originally from Mangystau Region, resided in Aktau.
Gaukhar Zhumagatovna Shaimerdenova, born 17.07.1975, originally from Almaty, resided in Astana.
Eldar Zhumagat, son of Gaukhar Shaimerdenova, born 23.08.2013, resided in Astana.
Salima Amanzholovna Jutaeva, born 21.02.1995, originally from Kostanay Region, resided in Karaganda.
Among the survivors are two crew members – flight attendants Aidan Ragimli and Zulfugar Asadov.
Nine injured Russian citizens were flown to Moscow on the morning of 26 December. The surviving Azerbaijani passengers were also transported home. On 30 December, the last patients injured in the air crash were discharged and sent home in Mangystau Region.
After the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan for the prompt assistance and support provided to the victims.
On 29 December 2024, Ilham Aliyev gave an interview in which he commented on the tragedy of the plane crash near Aktau.
“First of all, I called President Tokayev to express my gratitude. We knew and received information that immediately after the accident, Kazakh rescuers arrived at the scene promptly and began extracting people from the destroyed fuselage,” the Sfera.az outlet quoted the president as saying.
According to Aliyev, the rescuers acted at the risk of their own lives, not knowing for certain whether a second explosion was possible, since part of the aircraft was already on fire. He also noted the efforts of the medical staff, who quickly transported the injured passengers to hospitals.
“The solidarity of our Kazakh brothers and sisters has left a deep mark in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people. This is true friendship and brotherhood,” the President of Azerbaijan stressed.
At the beginning of this year, Kazakh rescuers who took part in saving survivors of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau were honoured in Azerbaijan.
Earlier, in the Mangystau Region, employees of the Emergency Situations Department who rescued passengers of the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft were also commended.
In addition, on 7 February a memorial as (commemorative feast) was held in Aktau in memory of those who died in the crash. During the event, Azerbaijani businessman Amil Yusifov provided assistance to the families of the deceased Kazakh citizens, handing over the keys to five two-room apartments in a new residential complex in Almaty. The apartments were fully furnished and equipped with household appliances.
In addition, the philanthropist donated three new vehicles to the Department of Emergency Situations of the Mangystau Region, the hospital, and the ambulance and emergency medical service in Aktau. Yusifov stressed that he does business in Kazakhstan and considers it his duty to support the brotherly nation.
In March, in Astana, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who conveyed gratitude on behalf of Ilham Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan for the assistance provided after the tragedy.
One year later
In December this year, on the anniversary of the crash, relatives of the deceased passengers and crew members arrived in Aktau. Among them were the families of Azerbaijan’s national heroes Hokuma Aliyeva, Igor Kshnyakin and Aleksandr Kalyaninov, as well as the loved ones of other victims of the tragedy. The relatives visited the crash site.
“Our pain will only subside when those responsible receive the punishment they deserve. I would also like to express my gratitude to our compatriots living in Kazakhstan for the support they have shown,” said Hokuma Aliyeva’s brother, Joshgun Nasibli.
Photo from media.az
On the eve of the anniversary of the tragedy, those whose actions in a critical moment helped save lives were also recognised. Surviving flight attendants of the Baku–Grozny flight, Zulfugar Asadov and Aidan Ragimli, received state awards of the Chechen Republic — the medals “For Services to the Chechen Republic”. The awards were presented to AZAL President Samir Rzayev in Grozny at the ceremony to unveil a memorial plaque in memory of the victims of the crash.
The tragedy also reminded of itself in the autumn of this year. In Azerbaijan, Nurullah Sirajov — one of the passengers who survived the crash — passed away. He died on 17 October at his home. The man and his wife had sustained serious injuries in the crash and were undergoing treatment. Sirajov also suffered from cancer and was travelling to Grozny for an operation that never took place because of the disaster. Although he managed to recover from his injuries, he was unable to overcome the disease.
Photo: media.az
It was also reported that a film crew from the CBC Azerbaijan television channel arrived in Aktau to work on a documentary dedicated to the AZAL plane crash.