Russia ‘shot down plane’ in Kazakhstan killing 38 in Xmas fireball crash as pilot’s chilling last words revealed
Share:
RUSSIAN air defences shot down a passenger plane over Kazakhstan on Christmas Day killing 38 in a fireball crash, government sources have said. Azerbaijani government investigation reportedly found the plane was hit by the Russian Pantsir-S air defence system.
![[Emergency specialists work at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet near the western Kazakh city of Aktau]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/image_5fcc79.png?strip=all&w=620)
The tragic Christmas Day crash killed 38 people after Flight J2-8243 carrying 67 people hit the ground near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan. Terrifying footage showed the Embraer aircraft nosediving before smashing into the ground in a fireball. The plane had been en route from Baku in Azerbaijan to Grozny in Russia - but was rerouted due to bad weather conditions.
![[The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground with several emergency workers and vehicles nearby]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/image_52a4a6.png?strip=all&w=620)
Dozens of passengers, including children, miraculously survived the horror crash. Around 150 emergency responders rushed to the scene, battling towering flames and thick plumes of black smoke rising ominously into the sky. Meanwhile, an investigative team led by the deputy prosecutor general of Azerbaijan is working at the crash site.
![[Footage shows the inside of the plane just moments before the deadly crash]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/image_5a7262.png?strip=all&w=620)
They found the black box of the doomed flight which revealed the haunting final words the pilot said just moments before the plane crashed on the ground. Struggling to control the plane, one of the pilots said: "I can't execute, control is lost!". The pilots reportedly tried to take the plane to three different airports but failed to land.
