Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243

4K-AZ65, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in June 2016
Occurrence
Date	25 December 2024 (2024-12-25)
Summary	Crashed on approach during emergency landing after "external objects" penetrated the structure, causing control failure
Site	Near Aktau International Airport, Aktau, Kazakhstan 43°52′57″N 51°0′36″E / 43.88250°N 51.01000°E / 43.88250; 51.01000
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Embraer 190AR
Aircraft name	Gusar
Operator	Azerbaijan Airlines
IATA flight No.	J28243
ICAO flight No.	AHY8243
Call sign	AZAL 8243
Registration	4K-AZ65
Flight origin	Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, Azerbaijan
Destination	Kadyrov Grozny International Airport, Chechnya, Russia
Occupants	67
Passengers	62
Crew	5
Fatalities	38
Injuries	29
Survivors	29

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, to Kadyrov Grozny International Airport near Grozny, Russia. On 25 December 2024, the Embraer 190 operating the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was severely damaged by "external objects" penetrating the structure, widely believed to be a Russian surface-to-air missile, during the aircraft's approach to Grozny. The aircraft attempted to divert but its hydraulic system failed, leading to a loss of control and ultimately a crash near Aktau International Airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan, with 62 passengers and 5 crew on board. Of those 67 people, 38 died in the accident, including both of the pilots and a flight attendant, while 29 people survived with injuries.

Approximately 40 minutes after takeoff, as the aircraft entered Russian airspace and neared Grozny, the crew reported losing GPS navigational aids, due to jamming. Foggy conditions were also reported by the airport. As the plane approached its destination, 81 minutes into the flight, passengers reported an explosion and shrapnel striking the aircraft. In radio transmissions, the pilots attributed the event to a bird strike and requested a diversion. They initiated emergency protocols, including squawking 7700 on the transponder, and redirected the flight over the Caspian Sea toward Kazakhstan.

However, after the crash, the aircraft was found to be riddled with holes in its fuselage, some containing fragments of foreign metal objects, damage inconsistent with a bird strike but resembling the impact of a surface-to-air missile.^[1][2] On 26 December, Euronews reported that Azerbaijani officials had determined the plane had been hit mid-flight by a Russian missile during efforts to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on Grozny Airport. Shrapnel from the blast injured several passengers and cabin crew.^[3] On 27 December, The New York Times reported that Azerbaijani investigators believed a Russian Pantsir-S1 air-defence system had damaged the plane before it crashed.^[4] On 4 February, Reuters reported that investigators had recovered a fragment of a Russian Pantsir-S missile from inside the fuselage.^[2]

On 28 December Russian President Vladimir Putin apologised to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, for the "tragic incident" involving the aircraft in Russian airspace. He stated that Ukrainian drones had been targeting Grozny at the time and that Russian air defences had repelled these attacks, but he did not confirm that the flight had been shot down or acknowledge Russian responsibility.^[5] On 29 December, President Aliyev said that Russia had accidentally shot down the plane, accused Russia of attempting to obfuscate and "hush up" the crash, and demanded a full admission of guilt, punishment for those responsible, and compensation for the victims and their families.^[6]