Azerbaijan Airlines Suspends Flights After Kazakhstan Crash

Posted • December 25, 2024: An Azerbaijan Airlines crashed Wednesday at the Aqtau Airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan; 28 of the 67 passengers and crew aboard are known to have survived; the circumstances of the crash indicate the aircraft suffered fatal damage as the result of a Russian surface-to-air missile. Azerbaijan Airlines JS-8243 left Baku International Airport at 7:55 local time en route to Grozny Airport in Russia's Chechen Republic. The flight lasted just over an hour and was to arrive at 8:03 local time. As the aircraft approached Grozny, its navigation was "exposed to strong GPS jamming and spoofing." Due to fog in Grozny, the plane was diverted to Makhachkala’s Uytash Airport in Dagestan, Russia, which is 95 miles east of Grozny. Grozny was under drone attack on Wednesday as JS-8243 approached.

GPS spoofing and jamming have been used by the Russians before, and it would be a logical part of any defense against long-range drone attack; see Is Russia's Baltic GPS Jamming Harassment or a Military Test Bed? Sometime after the plane was diverted to Uytash Airport, it was again diverted to Aqtau Airport. No reason was given, but the same ground fog that scrubbed the Grozny landing was probably in effect at Uytash Airport. Shortly after the aircraft crossed the coast of the Caspian Sea, the crew reported a heavy impact on the fuselage. That report was quickly followed by the aircraft signaling an emergency by sending a 7700 transponder code and requesting permission for an emergency landing because of failure of control systems. This is the radar plot and it does look like something is wrong. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1871810456869851136/pu/vid/avc1/720x1112/2XpIMowYFiJS7gNV.mp4

As the plane arrived at Aqtau Airport, it was caught on video. Kazakhstan Plane Crash: Final Moments Revealed… 14 Survive. 🔹 Flight Details: Azerbaijan Airlines, Embraer 190 (Flight J2-8243) 🔹 Route: Baku (Azerbaijan) → Grozny (Russia), diverted to Aktau (Kazakhstan) due to fog 🔹 Passengers Onboard: 72 (5 crew members) 🚨 AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES SUSPENDS FLIGHTS AFTER KAZAKHSTAN CRASH - Following the tragic crash of Flight J2-8243 near Aktau, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended its Baku-Grozny and Baku-Makhachkala routes pending investigation. The Embraer E190 aircraft, en route from Baku to Grozny, crashed during an emergency landing, resulting in 35 fatalities and 32 survivors. The airline emphasizes that all other flights will continue as scheduled. (…)

• More at: RedState - Azerbaijan Airline Crash Was Most Likely Caused by a Russian Missile
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