 "A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Reuters")
Flying from Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in Chechnya on Christmas Day turned fatal for many on board an Azerbaijan Airlines flight when it crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after veering off its planned route.
According to officials, 38 people of the 67, including crew, on board died in the crash.
The tragedy unfolded on Wednesday (December 25) after Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku at 03:55 GMT and crashed around 06:28, data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed.
The plane’s course on the Flight Radar website showed it flying away from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau, which is an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the sea.
According to preliminary investigations, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike, leading to the crash. Even Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the plane flew threw a flock of birds but later withdrew the statement. “We cannot disclose any investigation results at this time,” the office of Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general said in a statement.
So, what exactly happened to the plane? And what is a bird strike that is the possible reason for the plane going down in flames?
What happened on board Azerbaijan Airlines flight?
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 with 62 passengers and five crew members took off from Baku and was heading to Grozny in Russia when tragedy struck.
However, it made an emergency landing approximately 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) from Aktau. Unverified video footage of the plane showed it bursting into flames as it hit the ground. Moments later, visuals showed dazed survivors emerging from the charred plane.
One video, which has gone viral since the plane crash, shows what unfolded in the aircraft as it went down. In the video, the passenger is heard saying “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as the plane goes into a steep descent. Yellow oxygen masks are seen dangling over the seats. Screaming and crying can be heard.
Soon after the plane crashed, rescuers arrived at the scene and doused the flames. Officials later said that 29 people survived the crash, including two children. However, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said that 11 survivors were in critical condition.
Following the crash, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced Thursday to be a day of national mourning and even cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations.
What about investigations into the crash?
Kazakhstan has announced that it has opened an investigation into the cause of the crash. Furthermore, the black box of the plane has been recovered, which will help in determining what exactly happened to the aircraft.
Shortly after the Azerbaijan Airlines plane went down, some conspiracy theories began floating — with some speculating that the plane could have been shot down by Russian air defences, which mistook it for a Ukrainian drone. The Fighterbomber Telegram channel, believed to be run by Capt Ilya Tumanov of the Russian army, released a clip showing what appeared to be holes, which some suggested resembled the kind of damage caused by shelling or an explosion with shrapnel.
However, Russia’s aviation watchdog said that initial investigations suggest that the pilot had decided to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. “Preliminary: after a collision with birds, due to an emergency on board, its commander decided to ‘go’ to an alternate airfield - Aktau was chosen,” Russia’s aviation watchdog said on Telegram.
But what is a bird strike?
As the name suggests, a bird strike is a collision between an aircraft and a bird. It has been expanded to include collisions on the ground with animals, including rabbits, deer, dogs and alligators.
Bird strikes have become quite common since the first one was recorded by Orville Wright in 1905, over a cornfield in Ohio. According to data available, over 2,70,000 bird strikes were reported between 2016 and 2021 — reflecting just how regular a phenomenon they have become.
Aviation experts note that bird strikes occur as birds are attracted to planes and areas around airports. In monsoons, as water puddles emerge in open grounds attracting insects to breed, it also increases the presence of birds in these regions. Moreover, birds are migratory — which often puts them in the path of air traffic routes. Birds often fly in flocks, which increases the likelihood of multiple fatalities in the event of a collision.
Have people been killed or injured owing to bird strikes?
The short answer is yes. Experts also note that bird strikes can threaten aircraft safety. According to aviation experts, the type of aircraft affects the effect of a bird strike. For instance, bird strikes can be fatal for smaller aircraft, particularly single-engine aircraft. Records show that there have been 262 bird strike fatalities since 1988 across the world, and 250 aircraft have been destroyed.
The most famous instance of a bird strike occurred in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 encountered a flock of migrating Canadian geese shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. Both of the plane’s engines failed, and captain Sully Sullenberger was forced to pilot it to an unpowered landing in the Hudson River.
An instance when a bird strike was fatal was in October 1960. An Eastern Airlines Flight was hit by birds, just 20 seconds after take-off from Boston Logan International Airport. The incident led to the aircraft losing power and crashing into the Boston Harbour killing 62 of the 72 on board.
Another deadly bird strike occurred in 1988 when 35 of 104 people on board an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft were killed when it crashed after several birds flew into its engines during take-off from Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Can bird strikes be prevented?
Bird strikes are preventable — to a certain extent. Radar can be used to track flocks of birds. Pilots can also adjust their flight plans to avoid encountering birds.
Conservationists have been advocating for the creation of safe migratory corridors for birds. These are networks of connected habitats that are created after identifying common migratory routes. They provide access to necessary resources such as food, water, and resting areas and help maintain biodiversity.
With inputs from agencies