Reports say Azerbaijani investigation found Russian missile caused fatal plane crash Aviation news

Azerbaijani officials cited in multiple reports say Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 was shot down by Russian air defenses.

The preliminary investigation conducted by Azerbaijan into A Fatal plane crash in Kazakhstan Multiple media outlets reported that the plane was determined to have been shot down by Russian air defense systems.

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432 crashed near the city of Aktau on Wednesday while en route to Grozny, the capital of the Chechnya region in southern Russia, killing 38 people and injuring 29 others.

While Azerbaijan has not yet publicly announced the results of its investigation into the disaster, officials have concluded that a Russian anti-aircraft missile was to blame, Euronews, The Wall Street Journal, Anadolu Agency and Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Sources familiar with the investigation

Reuters quoted a source as saying that the plane was hit by a Russian Pantsir-S battery after its communications were paralyzed by electronic warfare systems as it approached Grozny.

Reuters quoted the source as saying that he did not believe that the shooting at the plane was intentional.

Euronews quoted government sources as saying that the plane was not allowed to land in Russia after the pilots requested an emergency landing, and were instead directed to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau.

Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify these allegations.

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency initially said that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a flock of birds.

Reports of Russia’s involvement came after aviation experts suggested Russian air defenses were likely responsible, based on apparent damage to the plane’s tail section.

The Embraer 190 was flying over a part of Russia’s North Caucasus that has been targeted by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, and the Russian Defense Ministry reported shooting down dozens of drones Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Footage of the ill-fated plane posted on social media showed the plane landing hard before hitting the ground and bursting into flames.

Russia warned against speculation about the cause of the accident, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “It would be a mistake to make any hypotheses before the results of the investigation.”

Kazakhstan, which is also investigating the incident, declined to speculate on the cause before publishing its findings.

Azerbaijan on Thursday held a day of mourning for the victims of the accident, with residents of the former Soviet country observing a minute of silence as national flags were flown at half-mast and traffic stopped across the country.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said: “It is a great tragedy that has become a source of great sadness for the Azerbaijani people.”