Air crash in Aktau: what damages the airplane sustained
Tengrinews.kz – The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan has published an official report with preliminary results of the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane, which crashed near Aktau in December 2024.
The report consists of 53 pages. It clarifies that the investigation conducted within the framework of the report "does not aim to establish the fault or responsibility of anyone."
Information about the wreckage and impact
According to the document, the location of the aviation incident with the E-190 plane is approximately 5 kilometers northwest of Aktau International Airport.
After the collision with the ground, the airplane broke into several parts. According to the report, the non-linearity of the scattering of aircraft elements and their locations can be characterized by the direction of the aircraft and the landscape of the area where the aviation incident occurred. From the point where the left landing gear touched the ground to the point where the fuselage made contact with the surface, there is an elevation of the ground, which then smoothly transitions into a lowland.
Tengrinews.kz publishes screenshots from the Ministry of Transport's document.
"The central and front parts of the fuselage, the lower part of the cockpit, and the right wing were completely destroyed by fire. The upper part of the cockpit detached from the lower part, where the upper instrument panel, two windscreen panels, and one side window remained intact. The rear part of the fuselage with the tail section was located away from the other parts of the aircraft. The left wing with the central part of the aircraft was at the site of the fuselage fire and was partially preserved. The landing gear was destroyed in the collision and scattered at the site of the incident; the upper part of the left landing gear remained in the left wing’s recess. The right engine was broken into several large and small parts. The left engine was partially preserved," - the data is presented in the official report.
The report includes a photo showing the location of the aviation incident and the scattering of aircraft elements.
Point of contact with the right wing.
Point of contact with the right engine and right landing gear.
Estimated direction of the aircraft at the moment of contact with a course of 70 degrees NE.
Point of contact with the left landing gear.
Point of contact with the fuselage and left engine.
Wingtip (winglet) of the right wing.
Estimated direction of the cockpit, front, and central fuselage, right and left wings' point of impact with a course of 90º E.
Estimated direction of the rear and tail fuselage section's point of impact with a course of 80º NE.
Upper part of the cockpit shell.
Point of ignition in the cockpit, front and central fuselage, right wing.
Left wing with central keel beam.
Left engine.
Destroyed front part of the right engine.
Destroyed rear part of the right engine.
Right landing gear.
Right landing gear strut with wheels.
Rear fuselage with the tail section.
Part of the left landing gear strut with wheels.
According to official data, the information presented in this report is preliminary and may be clarified and supplemented based on the results of research and the study of all materials. After the work is completed, a final report on the investigation of the aviation incident will be prepared.
Additionally, the report states that the commission continues to conduct a detailed examination of the damage to the aircraft’s structures.
"The initial inspection of the remaining fragments revealed numerous through and non-through damages of varying sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, the fin and stabilizer, and the elevators and rudders. Similar damages were found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft, as well as on the aircraft’s assemblies and components. In some places, the damages have a regular rectangular shape."
Earlier, it was reported that the Ministry of Transport had published a report with preliminary findings from the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, which crashed on December 25 near Aktau. The full document is available here.
Baku-Grozny plane crash near Aktau: What happened?
Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flying from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russia), crashed three kilometers from Aktau at 11:30 A.M. local time on December 25. The passenger flight was unable to land in Grozny due to heavy fog, first, it was redirected to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau.
The report consists of 53 pages. It clarifies that the investigation conducted within the framework of the report "does not aim to establish the fault or responsibility of anyone."
Information about the wreckage and impact
According to the document, the location of the aviation incident with the E-190 plane is approximately 5 kilometers northwest of Aktau International Airport.
After the collision with the ground, the airplane broke into several parts. According to the report, the non-linearity of the scattering of aircraft elements and their locations can be characterized by the direction of the aircraft and the landscape of the area where the aviation incident occurred. From the point where the left landing gear touched the ground to the point where the fuselage made contact with the surface, there is an elevation of the ground, which then smoothly transitions into a lowland.
Tengrinews.kz publishes screenshots from the Ministry of Transport's document.
"The central and front parts of the fuselage, the lower part of the cockpit, and the right wing were completely destroyed by fire. The upper part of the cockpit detached from the lower part, where the upper instrument panel, two windscreen panels, and one side window remained intact. The rear part of the fuselage with the tail section was located away from the other parts of the aircraft. The left wing with the central part of the aircraft was at the site of the fuselage fire and was partially preserved. The landing gear was destroyed in the collision and scattered at the site of the incident; the upper part of the left landing gear remained in the left wing’s recess. The right engine was broken into several large and small parts. The left engine was partially preserved," - the data is presented in the official report.
The report includes a photo showing the location of the aviation incident and the scattering of aircraft elements.
Point of contact with the right wing.
Point of contact with the right engine and right landing gear.
Estimated direction of the aircraft at the moment of contact with a course of 70 degrees NE.
Point of contact with the left landing gear.
Point of contact with the fuselage and left engine.
Wingtip (winglet) of the right wing.
Estimated direction of the cockpit, front, and central fuselage, right and left wings' point of impact with a course of 90º E.
Estimated direction of the rear and tail fuselage section's point of impact with a course of 80º NE.
Upper part of the cockpit shell.
Point of ignition in the cockpit, front and central fuselage, right wing.
Left wing with central keel beam.
Left engine.
Destroyed front part of the right engine.
Destroyed rear part of the right engine.
Right landing gear.
Right landing gear strut with wheels.
Rear fuselage with the tail section.
Part of the left landing gear strut with wheels.
According to official data, the information presented in this report is preliminary and may be clarified and supplemented based on the results of research and the study of all materials. After the work is completed, a final report on the investigation of the aviation incident will be prepared.
Additionally, the report states that the commission continues to conduct a detailed examination of the damage to the aircraft’s structures.
"The initial inspection of the remaining fragments revealed numerous through and non-through damages of varying sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, the fin and stabilizer, and the elevators and rudders. Similar damages were found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft, as well as on the aircraft’s assemblies and components. In some places, the damages have a regular rectangular shape."
Earlier, it was reported that the Ministry of Transport had published a report with preliminary findings from the investigation into the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft, which crashed on December 25 near Aktau. The full document is available here.
Baku-Grozny plane crash near Aktau: What happened?
Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flying from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Russia), crashed three kilometers from Aktau at 11:30 A.M. local time on December 25. The passenger flight was unable to land in Grozny due to heavy fog, first, it was redirected to Makhachkala, and then to Aktau.