Kazakhstan releases interim statement on Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash probe

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport on Thursday released an interim statement on the investigation into the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane near the southwestern Kazakh city of Aktau last year.
As part of the investigation, a comprehensive forensic examination of identified foreign objects was conducted, revealing no traces of explosive substances and no evidence of an explosion on the three oxygen cylinders examined. The damage to the aircraft was presumably caused by striking elements of a warhead, but it was not possible to establish their origin, the statement said.
A traceological examination of part of hydraulic system pipe No. 2 revealed that the tubing exhibited damage classified as “metal rupture resulting from contact with hard objects.” Through-type damage may have been caused by metallic fragments composed of iron-based alloys, the statement added.