What We Know About the Azerbaijani Airlines Plane Crash

The crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Dec. 25, 2024. Azamat Sarsenbayev/AP Photo

Aviation experts said Thursday an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan most likely went down after being hit by Russian air defense systems.

Here are some things to know about the crash that killed 38 out of the 67 people on board:

How Did the Plane Crash?

Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t yet fully clear. It crashed while trying to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east across the Caspian Sea.