“Two seats exploded“ What the AZAL captain and flight attendant talked about
Tengrinews.kz – The Ministry of Transport has published a report with preliminary findings on the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) aircraft that went down near Aktau on December 25. According to the report, the first issues for the crew arose at 05:13:31.
The document specifies that at 05:13:31, the first problem occurred: an impact was recorded, and the autopilot disengagement alarm was triggered.
Immediately, the pressure in the third hydraulic system dropped. The control surfaces (ELEVATOR, AILERON, RUDDER) locked in a neutral position and remained there until the end of the flight.
At 05:13:56, a second impact was recorded.
At 05:14:58, the captain contacted the cabin crew via internal communication to clarify the situation:"Hello, what happened?"
A flight attendant reported: "Two seats exploded, I can't get closer because the passengers are standing, I'm trying to seat them."
The flight crew then communicated with air traffic control in Grozny. The pilots assumed that the two impacts were caused by bird strikes. They later reported that they needed to find "the nearest airport where the weather is good."
Document of the Ministry of Transport of the RK
At 05:18:58, according to FDR data, the EICAS "CABIN ALT HIGH" alarm was triggered. This alarm was subsequently activated eight times.
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.
How many people were on board?
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 69 people on board, including 5 crew members:
42 citizens of Azerbaijan;16 citizens of Russia;6 citizens of Kazakhstan;3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan;two unidentified women of unknown citizenship, one about 32 years old, the other about 40 years old.
Azerbaijan Airlines also published a full list of passengers.
The document specifies that at 05:13:31, the first problem occurred: an impact was recorded, and the autopilot disengagement alarm was triggered.
Immediately, the pressure in the third hydraulic system dropped. The control surfaces (ELEVATOR, AILERON, RUDDER) locked in a neutral position and remained there until the end of the flight.
At 05:13:56, a second impact was recorded.
At 05:14:58, the captain contacted the cabin crew via internal communication to clarify the situation:"Hello, what happened?"
A flight attendant reported: "Two seats exploded, I can't get closer because the passengers are standing, I'm trying to seat them."
The flight crew then communicated with air traffic control in Grozny. The pilots assumed that the two impacts were caused by bird strikes. They later reported that they needed to find "the nearest airport where the weather is good."
Document of the Ministry of Transport of the RK
At 05:18:58, according to FDR data, the EICAS "CABIN ALT HIGH" alarm was triggered. This alarm was subsequently activated eight times.
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.
How many people were on board?
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, there were 69 people on board, including 5 crew members:
42 citizens of Azerbaijan;16 citizens of Russia;6 citizens of Kazakhstan;3 citizens of Kyrgyzstan;two unidentified women of unknown citizenship, one about 32 years old, the other about 40 years old.
Azerbaijan Airlines also published a full list of passengers.