Kazakhstan releases preliminary report on Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, confirming impact from ‘external objects’
On December 25, an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing more than half of the 67 people on board. The flight had been diverted to Aktau in the country’s west for an emergency landing after a failed attempt to land in Grozny, Russia — its original destination. In the immediate aftermath, authorities suggested several possible causes, but analysts later determined that the most likely explanation was a strike from a Russian anti-aircraft missile. Now, Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry has released a preliminary report, confirming that the plane was hit by “external objects” and publishing photographs of debris recovered from the fuselage. Here’s what the report reveals.
Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry has released a preliminary report on the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet that went down near Aktau in western Kazakhstan on December 25 while en route from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya.
According to the report, investigators found multiple punctures in the aircraft’s fuselage, particularly in the tail section, stabilizer, left engine, and wing. The hydraulic systems and stabilizer control mechanism were also compromised, making normal flight control impossible. The report states that this damage was most likely caused by external objects.
While it does not specify what those objects were, the report notes that some were recovered from the fuselage and includes photographs. “To determine the nature and origin of the perforations caused by foreign objects, further studies and examinations will be conducted,” the document states.
The report also includes excerpts from the crew’s communications with air traffic controllers in Grozny and Aktau, which largely match a transcript published in mid-January by the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Baza.
However, the version of the transcript circulated by the Telegram channel — described as “complete” — omitted a key message from the crew, which was sent to a dispatcher in Grozny shortly after the emergency began. In that message, the pilot, who had initially suggested a bird strike, said: “There was a strong impact, they say the rear seats exploded, the flight attendant reported.”
The report recommends that aviation authorities and airlines “assess the risks of operating flights in regions where GPS signal loss is recorded.”
Investigators emphasized that the probe is being conducted in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and is not intended to assign blame or legal responsibility but rather to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The day after its release, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) responded to Kazakhstan’s preliminary report, stressing that it “does not contain any conclusions about the cause of the incident” and that final determinations will only be made in the full investigation report. The agency acknowledged that the document confirms the aircraft sustained damage from an external impact but pointed out that it “does not indicate that the Kazakhstani authorities have identified the foreign objects found in the plane.” Rosaviatsiya also noted that Russia has not been given access to these objects for examination. The agency further emphasized that the report confirms the decision to divert to Aktau was made by the “crew itself,” rather than by Russian air traffic controllers, who had proposed “alternative airports” in Russia.
The Embraer 190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed on December 25. The aircraft was flying from Baku to Grozny when, shortly before landing, the crew reported control issues. Initially, pilots suspected a bird strike, then later suggested an oxygen tank explosion in the cabin. With only partial control of the aircraft, they diverted to Aktau for an emergency landing. The crash killed 38 people, including both pilots, while 29 survived.
In Azerbaijan, speculation quickly emerged that the loss of control may have been caused by an accidental hit from a Russian air defense missile, as the aircraft showed visible signs of external damage. Russian authorities later confirmed that Ukrainian drones had been detected over Grozny at the time of the plane’s planned landing. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the possibility that its air defenses mistakenly targeted the plane.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has demanded that Moscow acknowledge responsibility for the crash, apologize to Baku, hold those responsible accountable, and compensate the victims’ families. Russian President Vladimir Putin partially admitted responsibility, expressing condolences and apologizing for what he called a “tragic incident” in Russian airspace.
