The chilling final words of the pilot of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which tragically crashed on December 25, killing 38 people, have now been revealed.
The Embraer jet, which was en route to Grozny, Chechnya, is believed to have been mistakenly struck by a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile fired from the Naursky district of Chechnya, likely targeting what was thought to be a Ukrainian drone.
Shrapnel damage to the plane, as seen in the rear section of the wreckage in Aktau, Kazakhstan, and accounts from surviving passengers describing an explosion outside the plane, support this theory.
At the time of the crash, the plane was attempting to land at Grozny Airport, located in a region under the leadership of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been associated with frequent attacks by Ukraine. Kadyrov’s forces are suspected of launching the missile at the plane.
Leaked communications between the pilots and air traffic control provide a harrowing glimpse into the final moments of the flight. The crew initially believed the incident to be a bird strike, but as the situation worsened, the pilots struggled to maintain control of the aircraft.
At 8:12 a.m., the crew reported “both GPS lost” and requested assistance to return to Baku, Azerbaijan, after Grozny Airport was unexpectedly closed. Four minutes later, the pilot informed ground control of a “bird strike in the cockpit.” At 8:19, the pilot stated, “I can’t maintain 150, we have high pressure in the cabin.”
As the situation deteriorated, the crew struggled to keep control of the plane. At 8:21, they decided to divert to Makhachkala, Russia. However, by 8:22, they reported hydraulic failure, and the aircraft later disappeared from radar for 37 minutes before reappearing as it attempted to land in Aktau.
Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, linked to security services, suggested that the plane was hit by a missile launched from a Russian air defense system in Chechnya, which had been deployed after Ukrainian drone attacks. According to their sources, the missile exploded near the plane, causing significant damage.
Despite this, Russian state media have attempted to blame the crash on a collision with a Ukrainian drone, a theory that has been widely disputed. Experts argue that a drone collision would have caused immediate destruction, not the kind of shrapnel damage observed.
Kazakhstan has reportedly refused permission for Russia to join the investigation into the crash, with Azerbaijan also excluded. This move aims to ensure a transparent investigation, with the black box and other evidence still being examined.
