Flight J2-8243: flight recorders recovered and investigation underway
December 27, 2024
Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had been on route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Chechnya’s Grozny on 25 December before diverting across the Caspian Sea and making “an emergency landing approximately three kilometres near the city of [Kazakhstan’s] Aktau,” explained the airline. However, unverified indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may be responsible for the crash in a tragic case of mistaken identity – with the civilian airliner mistaken for a Ukrainian drone. With Russian officials continuing to caution as to speculation against the cause of the crash, investigation work continues to unearth the definitive cause of the tragedy.
On 25 December, Kazakhstan state media reported that the first of the aircraft’s ‘black box’ flight recorders had been recovered. Yesterday, it was revealed that the second box had also been found, and an investigation subsequently launched. This will be led by a commission in Kazakhstan, supported by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. “We were shocked by the news, as safety is our highest priority,” commented Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto in a statement. “In response, we immediately dispatched a team of specialists to the site in order to provide technical assistance with the investigation. We remain fully committed to supporting the relevant authorities”.
Although a commission (incorporating representatives from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia) will now investigate the crash, according to Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, law enforcement agencies of Russia and Azerbaijan will not be permitted to conduct a forensic investigation. As reported by Kazakh media, the Russian aircraft dispatcher attributed the aircraft’s loss to an oxygen tank explosion, although the Kremlin has confirmed to Reuters that “it is wrong to build hypothesis before the conclusions of the investigation”.
Flight tracking site Flightradar has also stated that the aircraft was exposed to GPS jamming and spoofing near its original destination of Grozny – although this sort of interference is not uncommon in the region.
Meanwhile, on 26 December, the airline announced that “in accordance with the decision of the Supervisory Board of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC, compensation of 20,000 manats (£9,400) will be paid to each of the injured passengers,” while the families of the deceased will each receive 40,000 (£18,800) manats. At least 38 of the 67 people aboard the aircraft have so far been confirmed dead.
