A passenger aboard the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan confirmed to Reuters that he heard at least one loud bang as the flight approached its original destination, Grozny in southern Russia. Flight J2-8243 went down in a fiery crash near Aktau, Kazakhstan, after diverting from a region in southern Russia where Moscow has frequently deployed air defense systems against Ukrainian drones.
“I thought the plane was going to fall apart,” said Subhonkul Rakhimov, a survivor who spoke from the hospital, adding that he began reciting prayers and preparing for the worst after hearing the bang. The crash resulted in at least 38 fatalities and 29 survivors.
Russia has emphasized the importance of waiting for the official investigation to determine the cause of the crash. However, four sources familiar with the preliminary findings of Azerbaijan’s investigation told Reuters that Russian air defenses had mistakenly downed the plane.
In response, Azerbaijan Airlines suspended several flights to Russian cities on Friday and suggested that “physical and technical external interference” might have caused the crash. Rakhimov described the plane’s erratic behavior following the bang, saying, “It was as if it was drunk – not the same plane anymore.”
The Embraer jet, which had taken off from Baku, Azerbaijan, headed to Grozny in Russia’s Chechnya region, before deviating hundreds of miles across the Caspian Sea. It ultimately crashed on the opposite shore, with Russia’s aviation watchdog initially suggesting that a bird strike might have triggered the emergency. After the chaotic landing, Rakhimov said there was silence until the sounds of the injured began.
Regarding the possibility that Russian air defenses shot down the plane by mistake, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that he had no further comment and preferred to wait for the official investigation to reach its conclusions. Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority, stated that the captain had been offered alternative landing airports but had opted for Aktau in Kazakhstan. The agency pledged to support both Kazakh and Azerbaijani investigations into the crash.
