So, like, on Christmas Day 2024, there was, like, this total disaster in Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243—an Embraer E190AR—was flying from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia. And guess what? It totally crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Tragically, 38 people lost their lives, but, like, 29 survived, which is honestly kind of miraculous considering how bad it was. Anyone who watches the video will be like, how did anyone survive that?!
So the flight took off from Baku at 7:55 AM local time, but things started getting, like, super sketchy as they approached Grozny. There was, like, GPS jamming (umm, what even is that?) and spoofing, which basically made it impossible to navigate. After failing to land in Grozny because of intense fog—seriously, worst weather ever—they diverted to Makhachkala in Dagestan. But, like, bad news: the weather there was also awful. So, the pilots decided to head to Aktau in Kazakhstan.
And, OMG, you wouldn’t believe the flight path! Experts said it was, like, so erratic, with crazy altitude changes and speed drops. It’s giving “total chaos” vibes.
At around 11:30 AM local time, during an emergency landing attempt at Aktau International Airport, the plane went down in the most horrific way. Witnesses said the plane’s right wing struck the ground first, which caused it to, like, break apart and catch fire. The front of the plane? Gone. But the tail section stayed mostly intact, which is, like, the only reason anyone survived.
Out of the 67 people onboard, including passengers from Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, 38 didn’t make it. But 29 survived, and some of them, like, were seriously injured and rushed to hospitals.
No quotes from survivors have been shared yet, but, like, can you imagine what they must’ve gone through?
So, Azerbaijan’s authorities were like, “Oh, maybe it was a bird strike.” Um, seriously? But then aviation experts and Ukrainian officials came in with the tea: they think a Russian air defense missile might’ve hit the plane by accident.
This wasn’t just, like, any missile, either. It could’ve been a Pantsir-S system, which Russia was using because of Ukrainian drones in the area. Apparently, the plane had shrapnel damage and these, like, suspicious holes on the tail, which is sooo sus.
Russia, of course, was like, “Don’t jump to conclusions!” They want a full investigation, which, duh, makes sense.
The black box has been recovered, so investigators are, like, combing through the data to figure out what actually happened. But everyone’s saying it’s, like, a huge lesson about how dangerous it is to fly through areas with, like, military conflicts and electronic interference.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared a national day of mourning, which is so heartfelt. And the president of Azerbaijan Airlines, Samir Rzayev, said the pilots were total heroes for trying their best to save lives.
Rzayev’s actual quote: “Despite the catastrophic circumstances, our crew demonstrated unparalleled bravery and skill, saving 29 precious lives.”
So far, no specific countries have, like, publicly spoken out, but this is definitely gonna make waves. The international aviation community is on high alert, saying civilian airspace needs to be, like, totally protected from military conflict drama.
It’s just so heartbreaking and wild to think about how this happened. Whether it was a missile, weather, or something else, it’s, like, a huge wake-up call for everyone involved in aviation. As the investigation continues, let’s hope for real answers soon.
Okay, that’s the tea for now. Let me know if you want more updates or quotes as the investigation unfolds!
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Image from Reuters.
