The pressure of altitude: what led to the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan
Lack of fuel, technical failure and oxygen cylinder explosion - such versions, along with the main one, were heard in the first hours after the crash of a passenger plane in Kazakhstan on December 25. Rosaviatsia tentatively stated that the cause of the crash of the Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijani airline AZAL in Aktau could have been a collision with birds, after which the commander decided to leave for an alternate airfield. During the landing approach the airplane collided with the ground. There were 62 passengers and five crew members on board, by the evening of December 25, 32 survivors were known. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case, and investigative actions are being carried out at the site. In what else could have caused the crash of Embraer 190 in Kazakhstan, "Izvestia" analyzed.
How the crash happened
After the plane crash near Aktau, 32 passengers were taken to local hospitals, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan said. A total of 67 people were on board. Kazakhstani media with reference to the country's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev reported 38 dead.
The plane was on its way from Baku to Grozny, but the Chechen airport said it was diverted to Makhachkala due to fog over the arrival city. On board were 37 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 Russians, six citizens of Kazakhstan and three of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport said. According to preliminary data, nine Russian citizens are among the survivors. Seven Russians died in the crash of the airplane. As the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabanov specified, three out of five crew members survived.
Closer to the evening, Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) announced the cancellation of all flights Baku-Grozny-Baku and Baku-Makhachkala-Baku until the investigation into the crash is completed.
Prior to the tragedy, an emergency distress signal was issued from the plane. The plane was preparing for landing in direct mode (i.e. direct control of the machine by the pilots) after the failure of the control system and redundant systems, said the operative headquarters at the scene of the accident. According to Flightradar, the plane was shaking violently, changing altitude and speed. The pilots drove the car as much as they could.
The crew tried to make an emergency landing at Aktau airport, but fell three kilometers away and caught fire. The pilots managed to steer the plane away from the residential houses of the nearest village.
The tail section of the plane was torn off and the first survivors were found there. Some of them managed to get out on their own, Izvestia correspondent reported from the scene. In the evening of December 25, the search and rescue operation was still ongoing.
The health department of the Mangistau region, without giving details, said that there was a cylinder explosion on board the plane. However, Russian aviation authorities said another version of the crash.
"Preliminary: after the collision with birds, due to the emerged abnormal situation on board the aircraft, its commander decided to "go" to an alternate airfield - it was chosen Aktau, " - indicated in Rosaviatsia.
Mangistau Regional Multidisciplinary Hospital has prepared 30 surgical and traumatologic, as well as ten resuscitation beds. The regional children's hospital has 20 beds and ten more resuscitation beds ready. In addition, private clinics have additional beds ready to receive victims.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case under the article on violation of the rules of safety of movement and operation of air transport. Head of State Vladimir Putin said that an Emergencies Ministry plane with medics and equipment was flying to Kazakhstan's Aktau. Russian diplomats have also headed to Kazakhstan to clarify information and organize assistance to the surviving compatriots, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"The whole plane was praying."
There were no organized groups of Russian tourists on board the crashed plane, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) told Izvestia. Now the relatives of the passengers are at Grozny airport. They learned about the incident from the news.
One of the relatives, Iqbal Bayramov, told Izvestia that his nephew survived and is now all right.
- I met my nephew, everything is normal now, he is alive, healthy, everything is fine. He was flying from Baku. He was visiting. I invited him for the first time, he has never been to Russia," he said.
Another passenger after the plane crash has only a small scratch on his face, he is in hospital. His relative Ekaterina Rakhimova said that almost all passengers in the tail section of the plane survived. She noted that the trip was not a work trip and the man was a frequent flyer.
- As I understood it, he was not supposed to fly on this plane, as if there were no tickets. Some kind of layover, I didn't get it," the woman said. - He said he was in the tail section. Those in the tail section all survived, apparently. And he was wearing a seat belt. He said that's what saved him.
According to Ekaterina Rakhimova, the liner's passengers realized that something was wrong with the plane while still in the air - the plane was circling the Caspian Sea at first.
- The whole plane was praying. He has six children. Two were just born," she noted. - The family is in Yekaterinburg.
The mother of the survivor of the airplane crash passenger Christina Yevstigneeva said that her daughter is in serious condition in the intensive care unit of the neurosurgery department. The woman was flying to Baku for a business meeting and planned to return home on December 27. None of the girl's relatives was on board the plane.
The husband of the passenger, Bashir Igidov, explained that his wife was flying to visit her daughter for the holidays. According to him, she was last on the Web in the morning. The passenger's family has not yet applied to the hotline for information.
Ural Airlines flight attendant Ramin Agayev was also on board. He had a weekend from December 24 to 29. According to preliminary data, Ramin survived, however, so far he is not in touch.
"During his work he has shown himself as a disciplined, erudite and communicative employee," Ural Airlines said. - He is responsive and always ready to help his colleagues. He is exceptionally conscientious in the performance of his duties".
A beautician from Grozny was also on board, her relative told Izvestia. According to Hussein, the woman named Zaira Atsayeva was flying from Turkey with a connection via Baku.
Astana residents donate blood and carry flowers to the Azerbaijani Embassy after the crash.
"Astana residents, sharing sorrow with the Azerbaijani people, began to carry flowers to the building of the Azerbaijani embassy in Kazakhstan in memory of the victims," a message on the website of the Astana administration reads.
What led to the crash of the airplane
The cause of the crash of the Embraer 190 airplane of the Azerbaijani airline AZAL in Aktau could have been a lack of fuel, those interviewed by Izvestiya do not rule out.
- After giving the air signal, the airplane flew over the Caspian Sea. And nothing prevented it from doing so. But at the final stage of the flight, during the descent, it can be seen that both engines were no longer working, - Yuri Sytnik, honored pilot of Russia, told Izvestia.
The airplane is controlled by three hydraulic systems, when the engines fail, the pumps do not work, the control comes from the backup channel, which causes certain difficulties, the pilot notes.
- First of all, it is necessary to check how much fuel was poured into the airliner and whether the airplane used it up during the flight across the Caspian Sea on its way to Aktau in Kazakhstan," Yuri Sytnik suggests.
The flight was originally planned to take the short Baku-Grozny route, but due to bad weather conditions the plane was diverted first to Makhachkala and then to Kazakhstan's Aktau.
Yuri Sytnik concluded from the video footage that the Embraer 190 missed the runway by only 600-800 meters. Failure of two engines at once can be caused by various reasons, including fuel problems, clogged filters and others, the pilot said.
The version of collision with birds, which was named among others, could not have led to such a disaster, experts believe. Aircraft collisions with birds usually occur at low altitudes - up to 500 meters. However, if a flock of birds hit the airplane at echelon, it did not lead to its immediate crash.
- The plane requested an emergency landing while still flying at echelon," Andrei Patrakov, founder of the RunAvia flight safety and certification service and aviation expert, told Izvestia. - That is, something happened at high altitude.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), up to 80% of collisions with birds are most often recorded at heights of 100-500 m. Sometimes migratory flocks rise to 3 thousand meters.
- But the echelon for airplanes is usually in the area of 10 thousand meters and higher, - says the expert. - In rare cases it is possible to meet birds at such heights, for example, with migratory geese over the Caspian Sea. But after the signal was given, the airplane was still in the air for a long time and did not fall down immediately.
Vladimir Kuznetsov, Chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Mediators, reminded that a large number of compensations are provided for the injured and dead in airplane crashes, established both by Russian legislation, compulsory insurance requirements, and international legal norms.
- In all cases, a thorough investigation of the causes of damage to or crash of an airplane is carried out, as a result of which the blame is established, which may lie on: the air carrier, pilots, aircraft manufacturers, dispatchers and other persons," he said. - At the same time, there does not necessarily have to be a guilty person.
As a rule, according to the expert, families of the dead and injured are paid large compensations, the size of which reaches several million rubles, and airlines often voluntarily pay compensations in excess of the amounts established by the norms of law.
