Azerbaijan Plane Suffers Bird Strike, Causing Steering Failure And Leading to The Crash: Reports

New Delhi: An Azerbaijani airliner carrying 67 people, including five crew members, crashed in the Kazakhstani city of Aktau. At the time of filing the article, Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry said 28 people have survived the crash, suggesting that over 30 fatalities are likely. Four bodies have been recovered so far. 

In a statement on Telegram, the ministry confirmed the total number of people on board and noted that the 28 survivors have been hospitalized. Russian news agency Interfax reported that there might be additional survivors, citing medical workers at the scene. The Embraer 190 aircraft, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometers from the city, the airline stated earlier. 

Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry initially said 25 people survived the crash, later revising that number to 27 and then to 28 as the search and rescue operation continued at the site of the crash, bringing the supposed death toll down.

What Led to The Azerbaijan Plane Crash?

A report by the Daily Mail suggested that a bird strike caused steering failure, leading to the Azerbaijan plane crash. The incident reportedly prompted the pilots to request an emergency landing, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, authorities in Kazakhstan are investigating multiple possible causes behind the crash. According to Russia's Interfax news agency, officials are also examining the likelihood of a technical malfunction as a contributing factor.

The investigation is underway, with further details expected to emerge as more evidence is reviewed.

Video Captures Exact Moment of Plane Crash

A two-minute and 31-second video captured the terrifying moment the passenger plane erupted into a fireball during a Christmas Day landing. The footage showed the aircraft bursting into flames upon impact, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.  

The plane appeared to have been in a sideways nosedive, suggesting the pilots had been unable to maintain balance. It was engulfed in flames and broke into several pieces upon crashing in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Mobile phone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft, lying upside in the grass. The footage corresponded to the plane’s colors and its registration number. Some of the videos posted on social media showed survivors dragging fellow passengers away from the wreckage of the plane.

Flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24.com showed the aircraft making what appeared to be a figure-right once nearing the airport in Aktau, its altitude moving up and down substantially over the last minutes of the flight before impacting the ground.

FlightRadar24 separately said in an online post that the aircraft had faced “strong GPS jamming” which “ made the aircraft transmit bad ADS-B data”, referring to the information that allows flight-tracking websites to follow planes in flight. Russia has been blamed in the past for jamming GPS transmissions in the wider region.

The flight was initially planned to travel from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to Grozny, a city in the North Caucasus of Russia. According to Azerbaijan Airlines, 37 passengers were citizens of Azerbaijan. Additionally, there were 16 Russian nationals, six citizens from Kazakhstan, and three from Kyrgyzstan, the airline stated.