Azerbaijani Plane Crash Blamed on Russia: Black Box Probed

Brazil is currently working with three other countries in the investigation of the recent Azerbaijani plane crash, which Azerbaijan has blamed on Russia. The probe includes analyzing data from the aircraft’s black box. Why It Matters A total of 38 people were killed in the December 25 plane crash. All 29 survivors were injured. What To Know Brazil’s air force said in a statement late Thursday that nine foreign investigators joined their own investigators in its capital of Brasilia to analyze data from the plane’s black box and other tools. Kazakhstan, where the plane crashed, has three investigators, and the six others come from Azerbaijan and Russia, where the plane was set the arrive. Brazil is where the plane, an Embraer 190 aircraft, was built. Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024. Brazil is currently working with three other countries in the investigation… Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau on December 25, 2024. Brazil is currently working with three other countries in the investigation of the recent Azerbaijani plane crash, which Azerbaijan has blamed Russia for. The probe includes analyzing data from the aircraft’s black box. Issa Tazhenbayev/AFP via Getty Images Brazil’s air force said that investigators are working on recordings, cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the plane. There’s no deadline for the investigation results to be released. When the findings are ready for publication, they will come from Kazakh authorities. Details About The Azerbaijani Plane Crash The plane, which departed from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, crashed near the city of Aktau while trying to land in Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan Airlines said on December 27 that the crash was caused by “physical and technical interference.” Claims Of Russian Involvement Meanwhile, Dmitry Yadrov, the chief of Rosaviatsia, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, said on December 27 that a Ukrainian drone attack was underway in Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya and the destination for the Azerbaijani plane, before the aircraft diverted toward Kazakhstan and later crashed. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said last Sunday that Russia unintentionally shot the plane down. He said the aircraft was hit by fire from the ground over Russia and “rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare.” What People Are Saying Brazil’s air force said in its Thursday statement: “The extraction, obtention and validation of the data of the flight recorders will take place in the shortest possible time.” Aliyev told Azerbaijani state television last Sunday: “We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia…We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done.” The Azerbaijani president accused Russia of trying to “hush up” the issue for several days. “Unfortunately, for the first three days we heard nothing from Russia except delirious versions,” he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement issued last Saturday apologized to Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace” but fell short of saying that Moscow was responsible for the plane crash. What Happens Next The investigation into the plane crash remains ongoing. This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.