‘Can’t execute, control lost’: Azerbaijan airline pilot’s last words before crash amid claims of Russian missile’s role

Evidence is mounting to suggest that the fateful Azerbaijani airliner plane crash in Kazakhstan, which killed 38 people, may have been caused by a missile fired by Russian air defences, a prominent Telegram channel closely linked to Russian security services claimed.

According to an Irishstar report, the channel — VChK-OGPU — suggested that the passenger plane was mistakenly targeted by a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile after being misidentified as a Ukrainian drone. However, this is not yet confirmed.

“In reality, the damage indicates that, most likely, a missile fired by air defence systems exploded near the plane. According to the materials we have obtained, that very strike occurred approximately 18 kilometres [11 miles] north, northwest of the airport in Grozny, over the Naursky district at an altitude of 2,400 metres [7,875ft],” Irishstar quoted the outlet as saying.

HT cannot independently verify this information.

The channel also noted that the damage visible on the plane’s fuselage aligns with that of a missile shrapnel, rather than a bird strike or drone collision, disputing reports from Russian media claiming that a Ukrainian drone had caused the crash.

The leak of partial alleged communication between the pilots and air traffic control indicates that loss of control which the crew earlier thought was due to a bird strike, was not the case after all.

Here’s the conversation between the pilot and air traffic control:

At 8:12 a.m., as the plane struggled with GPS failure, the pilots requested help with “vectoring” to return to the departure airport in Baku, presumably following the sudden closure of Grozny airport.

At 8:16, a pilot reported a “bird strike” in the cockpit, to which ground control responded, “AXY8243 I understand you, what kind of help do you need? “

According to the Mirror report, initially, the captain sought to return to his origin point, Baku. But at 8:17, the pilot changed course for Mineralnye Vody airport in southern Russia.

When prompted by ground control to “perform left orbit”, the chilling reply was “I can’t execute, control is lost.”

However, by 8:21, the crew reported a total loss of control, and the plane ultimately vanished from radar for 37 minutes before reappearing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, where it crashed.

Azerbaijani airliner plane crash

An Azerbaijani airliner crashed in Kazakhstan after being diverted, killing 38 of 67 people on board on Wednesday.

The plane was en route from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet.

It crashed while attempting to land in Aktau, Kazakhstan, after flying east across the Caspian Sea.