The passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning raises several questions about how the crash might have happened. Azerbaijan Airlines has now stopped all flights from Baku to Grozny and investigations are underway to determine what actually happened. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but one possible theory is that the plane collided with birds, reports the Russian news agency Tass. According to Kazakhstan’s health minister, preliminary reports have suggested, among other things, that the plane may have been forced to change route due to dense fog. Video clips show the plane approaching the ground in an emergency landing maneuver and catching fire on impact. Stopped flights Flight analyst Jan Ohlsson expresses doubts about the bird collision theory. He points out that the airline has stopped all flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, which would not be necessary if a bird caused the crash. He also mentions mysterious holes in the plane’s hull and the possibility of an explosion, raising questions about what really happened on board. – We receive reports very quickly, just hours after the crash, that people have collided with birds. He continues: – It seems to be out of control of the pilots when it is about to land and it is very, very strange. If you have collided with a stork or an eagle, you have no reason not to fly the next day. The aviation expert also mentions that mysterious holes on the side of the writing are visible in photos from the crash site, suggesting other possible explanations than a bird strike. – If you get a flock of geese in the engines this can happen, but damage shown on the side of the hull is not usually a bird strike. Such penetrations can happen in hailstorms and lightning strikes, but no one has reported anything like that so it’s all becoming more and more of a mystery. Something is missing in the information here, undeniably. The witness: Tried to land three times A survivor, Subchonul Rachimov, told the Russian state-controlled TV channel RT that the pilots tried to land in Grozny three times. On the third occasion, “something is said to have exploded”. Rachimov told the TV channel that he discovered holes in his life jacket that appeared to have been caused by shrapnel. The plane, which was on its way from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny, crashed three kilometers from the city of Aktau, near the Caspian Sea. There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members. Among the survivors are at least 32 people, including two children.
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