Plane that crashed in Kazakhstan 'suffered external interference'

The aircraft involved in the Christmas Day plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people experienced "external physical and technical interference", according to preliminary results of the investigation, Azerbaijan Airlines said yesterday.

- Ashifa Kassam

The early findings led the carrier to suspend flights to five Russian airports, citing "potential risks to flight safety", adding to the two routes that were suspended immediately after the crash.

The plane was flying from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya when it crashed in a field near Aktau in Kazakhstan, hundreds of miles off its planned route. Twenty-nine people survived.

Yesterday the head of Russia's civil aviation agency said the aircraft had tried to land in Grozny as the region was under attack by Ukrainian drones. "Ukrainian military drones were carrying out terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure at the time," Dmitry Yadrov said on Telegram, adding that the plane had made two unsuccessful attempts to land.

At the time there was also heavy fog over Grozny, he said. He described the conditions as "very complicated", adding: "The pilot was offered alternative airports. He took the decision to go to Aktau airport."