Russian state media has said that the plane was diverted because of bad weather and that a bird strike may have caused the accident.
Azerbaijan Airlines said Friday (December 27) that the passenger jet that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day was subjected to “physical and technical external interference,” according to initial findings from an investigation.
At least 38 of the 67 people on board were killed, including two pilots and a flight attendant, Kazakh authorities confirmed. CNN cited a US official as saying that preliminary evidence points to the possibility of a Russian anti-aircraft system bringing down the jet. Reuters, citing sources in Azerbaijan, also reported that Russian air defenses may have shot the plane down.
Russian officials said Friday that the jet, which operates flight J2-8243, was diverted from Grozny, in Russia’s Chechnya region, because of the fog and the presence of Ukrainian drones nearby. Head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Dmitry Yadrov, said that at that moment, Ukrainian drones carried out “terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure” in Grozny and Vladikavkaz, forcing a shutdown of the airspace.
Yadrov said that the pilot tried to land in Grozny twice but failed. He was reportedly offered alternative airports but preferred to continue flying to Aktau, Kazakhstan, over the Caspian Sea. Yadrov added that the dense fog around Grozny’s airport also contributed to the difficulties.
Russian state media has maintained that the jet was rerouted because of bad weather and claimed a bird strike may have caused the crash.
