Shot Down

[George K]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/26/russia-seeks-to-play-down-speculation-over-azerbaijan-airlines-crash

Russia and Kazakhstan have sought to temper speculation about the cause of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash, with the Kremlin urging people to wait for the results of an investigation.

A Ukrainian national security official has claimed that the crash, which killed 38 people on Christmas Day, was caused by Russian air defence fire.

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

Video of the crash appeared to show the plane plummeting out of the sky and bursting into flames as it hit the ground and thick, black plumes of smoke rising.

[Mik]

I guess stopping in KC wasn’t that bad.

[Copper]

I have read stories that blame bad weather, bird strike and GPS spoofing.

It is always the pilot's fault.

[Renauda]

In the absence of additional information I’ll reserve judgement, but in the meantime place all blame on the Chechen terrorist thug, Ramzan Kadyrov.

[Copper]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/26/asia/kazakhstan-plane-crash-questions-intl/index.html

Early indications suggest a Russian anti-aircraft system may have downed an Azerbaijan Airlines jet, a US official told CNN as Azerbaijan held a day of mourning for the dozens of victims of the disaster.

The signs point to a Russian system striking Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 before it crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, the US official said Thursday.

This is the first time the US has offered an assessment of Wednesday’s crash of the passenger jet that killed at least 38 of the 67 people on board.

If the early indications are ultimately confirmed, it may be a case of mistaken identity, the US official said, where poorly trained Russian units have fired negligently against Ukraine’s use of drones.

[Renauda]

It is my understanding that the Chechens themselves would be commanding and manning those AA batteries. That goes a long way in explaining the noted negligence and poor training.

[89th]

Not the first time this has happened, so it's not hard to believe. Kudos to the pilots who battled, what I'm guessing is a complete loss of hydraulics and just using thrust (@Copper this is where you come in) to try and stay in the air. It also reminds those who sit in the last rows of a aircraft, it truly is the safest place!

[George K]

[89th]

Thanks @George-K I was looking for better flightradar247 data and hadn’t found it yet.

[Renauda]

Putin apologizes for the incident but admits no responsibility:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx8l1533j5o

In other words, “It’s Zelenskyi’s doing, the only real victim here is, as always, me Russia”.

[Wim]

Azerbaijani president Aliyev demands Russian apologies:

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/44632

[bachophile]

and compensation for the families….thats what accepting responsibility means

[Renauda]

Not in the Kremlin playbook. Never has been. Why would it be otherwise this time?!

[jon-nyc]

If someone had said ‘there will be two plane incidents this week, one will get shot down by Russian air defenses and the other will have to do a belly landing’ you’d never guess this would be the one with the most survivors.