The Azal plane that crashed near Aktau was exposed to external impact before it hit the ground, says the preliminary report of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan on the known plane crash, APA reports.
The report, in a commentary on the photo of the left side of the tail of the plane, stated that it is likely that the hydraulic systems of the aircraft were exposed to external objects before the plane hit the ground.
It was noted that the result of the known damage was a loss of hydraulic fluid and pressure.
In addition, the report reflected some of the foreign metal objects protruding from the plane's stabilizer.
"Numerous holes and foreign metal objects were found in the fuselage of the plane," the preliminary report said.
***19:41
The Transport Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan has published a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near the city of Aktau, APA reports citing Kazinform News Agency.
A document with details of the investigation is available on the department's website.
At the beginning of the report, the Ministry spoke about the chronology of events. According to it, on December 25, 2025, at 11:28 local time (06:28 UTC), an Embraer 190-100 IGW2 4K-AZ65 aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines crashed while approaching runway 11 of the Aktau airfield. The aircraft was operating flight J2-8243 en route Baku - Grozny.
The data show that after two unsuccessful landing attempts in Grozny, the crew decided to return to Baku, but at 05:13:32, the main control systems were lost. Then, at 05:42, the crew headed to the alternate airfield of Aktau for an emergency landing.
The report confirms that there were 5 crew members and 62 passengers on board. As a result of the crash, 38 people died, including the commander, co-pilot, senior flight attendant and 35 passengers, and 29 people received injuries of varying severity.
The report also says that the commission found multiple damages in the tail section of the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, elevator and rudder. Similar damages were found on the left engine, left wing and other components of the aircraft. Some of the damages have a regular rectangular shape.
The department emphasized that the commission continues to study the causes of the disaster, including possible technical malfunctions, crew actions and external factors.
