Explained- Azerbaijan Airlines crash: A look at the E190 plane involved in incident that killed 38
WORLD | Shocking footage reveals an Azerbaijan Airlines plane executing a sharp right turn before tragically crashing and erupting into flames, sparking widespread concern.
A passenger aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Grozny, Chechnya crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday (Dec 25). In a post on X, Azerbaijan Airlines said that a total of 67 people were on board, including 62 passengers and five crew.
The Embraer 190 aircraft with flight number J2-8243 crashed near Aktau Airport. According to Kazakhstan's ministry of emergency situations (MES), 29 people survived the incident and rescue operations were going on.
The initial cause of the tragedy appears to be a bird strike.
A look at the aircraft in question
The aircraft involved in Wednesday's crash was Embraer's E190.
"Offering customers one of the most spacious interiors of all single-aisle aircraft, it also delivers impressive economics. Short hops or longer routes – the E190 has the versatility to go the distance," Embraer's website stated.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
ALSO READ: Explained: Who is the TTP whose camps were struck by Pakistan in Afghanistan?
The aircraft is designed to carry between 96 and 114 passengers, depending on its cabin configuration. The aircraft can fly up to 4,500 kilometres.
Embraer also says that the E190 is built with the lowest possible operating weight so airlines can carry more passengers, increasing revenue.
Videos circulating on social media showed the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft making a steep right turn, before hitting the ground and going up in flames.
Azerbaijan Airlines plane was over 11 years old
According to a report by the Aviation Week Network, the aircraft involved in Wednesday's crash was 11.5 years old and was delivered to Azerbaijan Airlines in July 2013.
The report said that the aircraft had clocked 9,474 hours in 6,296 flights.
Citing data from FlightAware, a report by the news agency Reuters said that the aircraft took off from Baku 11 minutes ahead of schedule.
The aircraft was unable to obtain permission to land in Grozny due to fog, forcing it to be redirected to Makhachkala of Russia's Dagestan and later to Aktau.
'Too early to say what caused the crash'
Addressing a press conference, Azeri prosecutor's office representative Kyanan Zeinalov said on Wednesday that it was too early to say what caused the crash.
"At present, the investigation is continuing in close cooperation with the Kazakh prosecutor's office. All possible versions are being investigated and all the necessary expertise is being conducted. At the moment, it is premature to speak about specific results of the investigation," Zeinalov said.
Farid Huseynov, who heads communications at Azerbaijan Airlines, told reporters that the list of the passengers was officially published, adding, that the lists of the dead and injured would be announced later.
"We have already established communication with the Kazakh side, and personnel of the Emergencies Service of Kazakhstan are providing operational assistance at the scene. According to available data, among the passengers on board there were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 citizens of Russia, 6 citizens of Kazakhstan and 3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan," Huseynov added.
Earlier, Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said that a state commission chaired by Prime Minister Ali Asadov had been established to investigate the cause of the crash.
Was the aircraft shot at?
As more and more developments started to emerge about the crash, certain reports claimed that the aircraft might have been shot at in Russia.
According to Russian media, a channel on Telegram named Fighterbomber published a video of the wreckage of the crashed E190.
ALSO READ: Houthis ‘uncover’ Mossad, CIA spy network as Israel shifts focus to Yemen
The video showed the tail section of the aircraft, with marks on the fuselage resembling traces of impact elements. The channel's author suggested that the cause of the crash might not have been a bird strike, as the official version states.
It had been earlier reported that several drones were shot down in Chechnya, where the aircraft was supposed to land.
As per a report by RBC Ukraine, a survivor of the crash shared that pilots attempted to land the plane in Grozny three times.
"On the third attempt, something exploded. There was an explosion — I wouldn’t say it happened inside the plane. Where I was sitting, the fuselage nearby was torn off," the survivor said.