But not a flock of birds
Russian missile caused plane crash
A Russian missile is said to have caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash on Wednesday (see video above). This has now been reported by Azerbaijani government sources. Meanwhile, Russian authorities have warned against speculation. An investigation is currently underway, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"It would be wrong to make a hypothesis before the conclusions of the investigation are available," he added. As reported, 38 people were killed when the plane crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday. 29 others survived, many of them with serious injuries.
As unusual damage can be seen on the outer skin of the aircraft, there is speculation that the plane may have been shot down with an anti-aircraft missile. Photos and videos of the tail show damage that resembles the impact holes of metal splinters on anti-aircraft weapons. The Chairman of the Senate in Kazakhstan rejected this as an unsubstantiated claim. However, the country's deputy head of government said that this could not be denied either. A public prosecutor added that there was no result of the investigation as yet.
Here you can see the holes in the hull.
Explosion next to plane
Azerbaijani government sources have since confirmed to Euronews that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the crash. This is said to have been fired during a drone flight. The fragments hit the passengers and crew and the missile exploded next to the plane. Authorities in the North Caucasus also reported Ukrainian drone attacks on Wednesday morning.
"Nobody is claiming that it happened on purpose," said an investigator in Azerbaijan. The plane had probably been hit by a Russian Pantsir-S air defense system. There was initially no official statement from the Kremlin.
No landing allowed in Russia?
A further accusation was also made against Russia: According to the Azerbaijani government, the plane was not allowed to land at a Russian airport despite a request to do so. It had been instructed to fly over the Caspian Sea in the direction of Aktau.
Azerbaijan Airlines itself attributed the suspected damage to the aircraft to a possible collision with a flock of birds. "The plane was extremely badly damaged, not controllable. This is not something that is caused by a flock of birds, for example, where the engines fail but the aircraft remains controllable," said aviation expert Heinrich Großbongardt.
In any case, the cause of the crash is to be clarified before operations are resumed. Among other things, radio transmissions and the analysis of flight recorders should help. The plane was on its way from Baku to Grozny (Russia). According to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the plane was unable to land in Grozny due to poor weather conditions and therefore headed for an alternative airport.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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