Pilot hailed as hero in Azerbaijan plane crash

(CLO) On Christmas Day, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 departing from Baku encountered a tragedy, putting both the crew and passengers on the Embraer 190 in imminent danger.

In this situation, Captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov flew the crippled plane over the Caspian Sea, towards Aktau, Kazakhstan, in the hope of making an emergency landing.

The crash killed 38 people including the pilot, but 29 passengers including three children survived. This was hailed by many as a "Christmas miracle". The survival of the 29 passengers was partly due to the extraordinary efforts of the crew.

The relatively intact tail section of the Embraer 190 saved the lives of dozens of passengers. Photo: Mangystau Regional Government

Former pilot and professor Dan Bubb at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas praised the pilots' skill and composure in handling the situation: "They not only flew the plane, but fought it every step of the way," he said.

Mr. Bubb compared the incident to United Airlines Flight 232 in 1989, when the crew saved 184 of the 296 people on board despite losing all hydraulics. Both incidents, he stressed, showed the power of pilot training and experience in extreme conditions.

Survivors recall the crew's composure as they flew the plane, despite having no electrical power and relying entirely on basic aerodynamics to keep it airborne for about 180 miles.

A spokesman for Baku European Lyceum, where co-pilot Aleksandr Kalyaninov studied, called him a hero who sacrificed himself to save the lives of dozens of passengers. Azerbaijan Airlines President Samir Rzayev also paid tribute to the crew's courage and dedication.

Flight 8243, scheduled to travel from Baku to Grozny in the North Caucasus, suddenly diverted for unknown reasons. The plane crashed about 3km from Aktau, with video showing the plane plummeting before exploding on impact.

According to data from Flightradar24, the plane's control system oscillated more than 100 times in the last 74 minutes. Experts believe the plane lost control due to serious damage to its electrical and hydraulic systems.

Immediately after the crash, images from the scene showed large holes in the tail of the plane. The plane's black boxes have been recovered for analysis. Azerbaijan Airlines announced that it was suspending flights between Baku and Grozny as well as Makhachkala, pending the results of the investigation.

Ngoc Anh (according to Newsweek, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phi-cong-duoc-ca-ngoi-nhu-nguoi-hung-trong-vu-roi-may-bay-azerbaijan-post327931.html