Plane crash in Aktau: details of the pilots' conversations before the disaster have been revealed.

We publish the full transcript (crew (э) / dispatcher (д):

08:11:50

э: AXY8243, we are en route to Baku.

08:11:58

д: AXY8243, maintain 900 m with the current course.

э: Maintaining 900 m with the current course, AXY8243.

08:12:12

д: AXY8243, confirm, are you diverting to the alternate airport in Baku?

э: Confirmed, diverting to the alternate Baku, AXY8243.

08:12:29

д: AXY8243, initially climb to FL80 and let me know if you can proceed to the Pint point?

э: Climbing to FL80, will inform shortly, AXY8243.

08:12:48

э: AXY8243, both GPS are lost, we need vectoring.

д: AXY8243, understood, turn right to heading 360.

э: Right to heading 360, AXY8243, thank you.

08:14:15

д: AXY8243, climb to FL150.

э: Climbing to FL150 (unintelligible), AXY8243.

д: AXY8243, expedite your climb.

э: Expediting climb, AXY8243.

...

08:16:05

э: We have lost control, bird strike in the cockpit. Bird strike in the cockpit (unintelligible).

08:16:16

д: AXY8243, understood, what assistance do you need?

08:16:41

э: What is the weather in Mineralnye Vody, please provide assistance.

д: AXY8243, at 16 minutes.

э: Did not understand.

д: AXY8243, at 16 minutes.

э: What at 16 minutes?

д: AXY8243, repeat your message, you are difficult to hear.

08:17:15

д: AXY8243, is the aircraft okay?

э: The aircraft is okay, we are proceeding to Mineralnye Vody.

д: AXY8243, understood, continue on the current heading until instructed otherwise.

э: Understood, continuing on the current heading until instructed. Please provide the weather for Mineralnye Vody.

д: AXY8243, hold on, climb to FL150.

э: Climbing to FL150.

08:18:29

д: AXY8243, execute a left orbit.

э: Cannot execute, losing control. Give us vectoring to Mineralnye Vody and provide the weather for Mineralnye Vody.

д: AXY8243, understood, hold on. Left to heading 030.

э: Left to heading 030.

08:19:12

э: I cannot maintain FL150, we have high pressure in the cockpit.

д: AXY8243, understood.

08:20:27

д: AXY8243, left to heading 360.

э: Left to heading 360, I am losing control of the aircraft.

д: AXY8243, for your information: the weather in Mineralnye Vody is wind 120 degrees, 6 m/s, visibility over 10 km, overcast, cloud base 180 m, QNH 1024 hPa, runway in use 11.

э: Give us Makhachkala.

08:21:20

э: And Makhachkala.

д: AXY8243, have you decided to proceed to Makhachkala?

э: Affirmative, to Makhachkala. Please provide the weather.

д: AXY8243, hold on.

08:22:12

д: AXY8243, right to heading 110.

д: AXY8243, Grozny Tower.

э: Receiving you.

д: AXY8243, right to heading 140.

08:22:57

э: Now the hydraulics have failed.

08:23:03

д: AXY8243, Grozny Tower.

э: Receiving you, we have lost hydraulics.

д: AXY8243, understood. Can you maintain your headings?

э: No, we cannot maintain. Please give us a specific heading, we are going to Makhachkala.

д: AXY8243, left to heading 100, correction right to heading 100.

э: Right to heading 100. Weather for Makhachkala.

08:23:42

д: AXY8243, weather in Makhachkala: wind 310 degrees, 2 m/s, visibility 3300 m, cloud base 750 m, haze, QNH 1026 hPa, runway in use 32.

э: Understood.

08:24:26

д: AXY8243, confirm, have you declared an emergency?

э: (Unintelligible) did not understand (unintelligible).

08:24:43

э: AXY8243, repeat.

д: AXY8243, is the aircraft okay?

э: The aircraft is okay.

08:24:55

э: Allow us (unintelligible).

д: AXY8243, repeat.

э: (Unintelligible).

08:25:09

д: AXY8243, can you hear me? Unintelligible, repeat your message.

э: (Unintelligible).

08:25:30

э: AXY8243, how did you receive?

д: AXY8243, Grozny Tower receiving you, very difficult to hear.

э: (Unintelligible).

08:25:47

э: AXY8243, allow us to proceed at this altitude.

д: AXY8243, at this moment I do not see you on radar, please provide your altitude.

08:26:10

э: Our altitude is 80.

д: AXY8243, try to climb to FL100.

э: If we can.

08:27:00

д: AXY8243, Grozny Tower.

э: Receiving you, AXY8243.

д: AXY8243, contact Rostov Control 134.1.

э: Rostov Control 134.1, AXY8243.

The crew of the Baku-Grozny flight continued negotiations with the dispatcher from Rostov. An investigation is underway to determine the exact causes of the accident.

Recall that an Embraer-190 aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near Aktau airport. There were 67 people on board, including five crew members. As a result of the tragedy, 38 people died, and 29 survivors were taken to hospitals, including two children.

The aircraft was en route from Baku to Grozny but was redirected to Makhachkala due to heavy fog. While approaching Aktau for an emergency landing, communication with the aircraft was lost, and at 11:37, the aircraft crashed. The official working version of the accident is a bird strike and subsequent loss of control.

Rescuers from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working at the scene. A governmental commission has been established, and an investigation has begun. The President of Kazakhstan expressed condolences to Ilham Aliyev; December 26 has been declared a day of mourning in Azerbaijan. In Kazakhstan, people are donating blood for the victims and bringing flowers to the Azerbaijan embassy.