Black boxes from plane crash in Kazakhstan to be analyzed in Brazil
On Thursday (Jan. 2), experts from the Brazilian Air Force's Aeronautical Accident Investigation Center (Cenipa) in Brasília began analyzing the black boxes of the Embraer 190 (registration 4K-AZ65), which crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25.
The accident claimed the lives of 38 people out of the 67 on board, including five crew members. The Brazilian-manufactured aircraft, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, had departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, and was en route to Grozny, Russia.
The black boxes contain crucial data and voice recordings from the flight, essential for determining the cause of the accident. According to a press release from the Air Force, the “extraction, acquisition, and validation of the data from the flight recorders will occur as quickly as possible.” The analysis is being conducted at Cenipa's flight recorder data reading and analysis laboratory.
Collaborative work
The Brazilian Air Force stated that three investigators from Kazakhstan, along with experts invited by the country—three from Azerbaijan and three from Russia—will observe the work. The Air Force added that the conclusions in the final report of the aeronautical investigation are “the sole responsibility of the Kazakh Investigation Authority.” As such, the work is being conducted in collaboration with the agency responsible for investigating accidents in Kazakhstan, which is affiliated with the country's Ministry of Transport.
Cenipa emphasized that the investigative actions conducted by the Brazilian agency are recognized as an international benchmark. “The use of three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality animation technology, which provides a complete visualization of the flight, enables investigators to gain a more precise understanding of various parameters such as the aircraft's trajectory, speed, altitude, system functions, and flight control operations,” explained the Brazilian Air Force.
According to international news agencies, the aircraft deviated from its original route and crashed on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea. There are suspicions that the jet was struck by Russian anti-aircraft defenses targeting Ukrainian drones.
