Kazakh Transport Ministry reveals details of Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau
According to Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, the Aktau airport emergency services were ready for the landing of the plane, with its crew establishing contact with the control tower of Aktau city after entering Kazakhstan’s airspace, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The dispatcher promptly took all necessary actions for the plane’s touchdown, turning on runway lights to ensure visibility, he said during a briefing.
The crew made two attempts to land the plane at the Aktau airport, during which chaotic changes in the plane's altitude, veering towards the coastline, were observed.
At 11:28am, contact with the crew was lost and the plane crashed with the ground. Aktau airport’s rescue service immediately arrived at the crash site, starting to evacuate the passengers.
Presently, the Special Commission, which consists of specialists from the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Department, is investigating the crash.
Earlier it was reported that the bodies of 10 deceased people out of 38 have been so far identified.
38 died and 29 survived as Baku-Grozny flight J2-8243 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25.
The chronology of the tragedy is available here.