Algodoo

The aircraft took off from Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku, at 07:55 AZT (Azerbaijan Time)[a] on a flight to Kadyrov Grozny International Airport.[8]

Approximately 40 minutes after takeoff, as the aircraft entered Russian airspace near Grozny, the crew reported to air traffic control that it had lost GPS navigational aids. At the same time, the aircraft's Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) signal, a system used for real-time aircraft tracking, also disappeared.[9][7] These occurrences strongly indicate that the aircraft was subjected to "GPS jamming."[10] Such interference is prohibited under international regulations established by the International Telecommunication Union and the International Civil Aviation Organization,[11] both of which count Russia as a member. Despite these regulations, GPS jamming has been employed by the Russian military to counter Ukrainian drone operations. GPS jamming has become a recurring issue for flights and is frequently encountered when entering Russian airspace.[12]

According to ATC transcripts, without GPS, the crew requested a non-directional beacon approach to runway 26. They were cleared to approach at 08:50 AZT (07:50 MSK, local time in Grozny), but due to the fog, the crew aborted the landing and initiated a go-around. They were cleared for a second landing attempt at 09:10 AZT (08:10 MSK), but again due to the fog, the crew aborted the landing and the crew informed controllers that they would be returning to Baku.[13][better source needed]

As the plane departed Grozny, passengers reported an explosion and shrapnel striking the aircraft.[8] At 09:16 AZT the crew reported a "control failure" due to a "bird strike in the cockpit."[14] They asked to divert to Mineralnye Vody Airport, but upon hearing the weather, asked instead to divert to Uytash Airport in Makhachkala. Shortly after, at 09:22 AZT, the crew reported a hydraulics failure.[14] Air traffic controllers told the crew not to attempt a landing in Makhachkala due to poor weather.[15][16] The crew issued a distress signal by squawking 7700 at 09:25, reporting a failure of the control system.[17] At 09:27 AZT, the flight was instructed to contact the Rostov area control center.[13][better source needed]

At 09:49 the pilots requested an emergency landing at Aktau International Airport and attempted to manage the approach in direct mode,[18] with the estimated landing time set for 10:25 (11:25 Kazakhstan time AQTT, UTC+05:00).[19] At 10:00 (11:00 AQTT), the Emergency Situations Department of the Mangystau Region sent emergency response teams and resources to Aktau airport.[19]

The plane entered Kazakh airspace at 10:02,[20] reappearing on ADS-B at 10:07 while flying over the Caspian Sea towards Aktau.[18][7] Altitude and speed data from ADS-B transmissions indicated the aircraft experienced extremely varying altitude and speed values.[7]

Unable to land at the first attempt, the aircraft initiated a go-around manoeuvre to re-position for another runway approach.[21] As it was making a third turn, at 10:28, communication between the pilots and air traffic control was lost.[22] At 10:30, the airliner struck the ground three kilometres (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) from the airport,[20] with its right wing hitting first.[23] It then tumbled, exploded, and broke into two major pieces. The explosion, combined with the fire that broke out after the plane crashed, destroyed the front section of the plane.[23][24] The tail section of the plane came to rest upside down away from the main wreckage, and remained largely intact.[25][23] The crash was captured on video, which showed that the landing gear was deployed when the plane hit the ground.[26][23] In response, additional resources and personnel from the Emergency Situations Department, initially stationed at the Aktau airport, arrived at the scene at 10:35 and were deployed at an elevated emergency rank, extinguishing the fire by 11:05 AZT (12:05 AQTT).[19][27][20] A surviving crew member said that the pilots initially ordered them to prepare for a water landing before changing to a ground landing.[28]

Of the 67 people on board, 29 survived, and 38 died.[29][15] The youngest fatality was a 13-year-old boy.[30] Of the five crew members aboard, two flight attendants survived, and both pilots and one flight attendant were killed.[31][32] Authorities said all of the fatalities occurred at the scene.[33] The 29 survivors, including two children, were hospitalised following the accident[34] for injuries that included closed craniocerebral injuries, brain concussion, closed chest injuries, and traumatic shocks.[35] Eleven of them were in critical condition.[36][37] Most of the survivors were believed to have been seated in the rear section of the aircraft.[38][39]