Brazil’s air force has announced the successful extraction of data from the black box recorders of an Azerbaijani plane that crash-landed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. The Embraer 190 aircraft, made in Brazil, was en route to Grozny in southern Russia when it was diverted, resulting in a deadly crash that killed 38 of the 67 passengers on board.
Azerbaijan alleges that Russian air defences shot the plane down, a claim Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin offering an apology for the incident occurring in Russian airspace.
Brazil’s Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center analysed the black box data, which captured vital flight information and cockpit dialogue. However, Kazakhstan is responsible for releasing the findings.
“All data was handed over to the Kazakhstan Investigation Authority in line with international protocols,” Brazil’s air force stated.
Russia has maintained that Ukrainian drones were targeting Grozny during the time of the crash, complicating the flight’s approach in thick fog.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has demanded an official apology and accountability from Moscow for the “criminal” downing of the aircraft. In a rare criticism, Aliyev condemned Russia’s alleged concealment of facts and contradictory explanations, describing them as delusional and causing justifiable anger.
Investigators from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Russia travelled to Brazil to oversee the data analysis.
