Isa Tzinbayev | AFP | Getty Images
An Embraer 190 crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. Baku, the capital of AzerbaijanGrozny, the capital of Chechnya, Russia.
According to a US official, preliminary evidence indicates that the plane may have collided with a Russian anti-aircraft system.
Two U.S. military officials told NBC News on Friday that the U.S. has intelligence indicating that the Russians mistakenly shot down an Azerbaijani airliner.
Intelligence suggests the Russians believed it was a drone and engaged in air defense, citing the plane’s erratic flight patterns and altitude, officials said. Both stressed that the investigation is still ongoing.
On Thursday, Matthew Bury, chief intelligence officer for aviation security firm Osprey Flight Solutions, told NBC News that “the flight was likely shot down by a Russian air defense system.”
At the time of the incident, Russian air defense forces were defending against a drone strike armed with military-grade weapons from Ukraine, which was shot down by Russia, he said.
While the Russian authorities… Caution against speculation On Friday, the country’s aviation authority said the situation around Grozny, Chechnya, was “very complicated” as the plane diverted to Kazakhstan, where it went down. It was destroyed.
Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia cited the presence of “Ukrainian combat drones” around Grozny. Chechnya is close to Ukraine. Ongoing war with Russia.
Rosaviatsia also reported that thick fog in the area of Grozny’s airport meant that there was little visibility at an altitude of about 1,600 feet. The pilot was offered an alternative airport, but chose to fly to the Kazakh city of Aktau after two failed attempts to land in Grozny, according to a statement released by Rozavitsya chief Dmitry Yadrov.
On Friday, Azerbaijan Airlines said it also suspended flights from Baku to five additional airports in Russia. The decision follows the suspension of flights from Baku to Grozny and Makhachkala, introduced on Wednesday.
According to a statement posted on the airline’s Telegram channel on Friday, “the suspension will remain in effect pending the completion of a final investigation.”