ASTANA – Black boxes of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Aktau on Dec. 25 will be sent to Brazil for decoding.
According to the standards of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the state conducting the investigation ensures the reading of the flight recorders and decides which country will read and decode the black boxes.
The Kazakh Transport Ministry reported on Dec. 29 that Kazakhstan ratified this convention in 1992 and is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Based on the above document, as well as considering the ICAO recommendation and consultations with the aviation authorities of Azerbaijan and Russia, the special investigation commission, headed by the Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, decided to send the flight recorders (black boxes) to the Aviation Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) of Brazil, which is also the country that manufactured the Embraer aircraft.
CENIPA has the necessary technical capabilities, equipment and a certified laboratory to read them.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, Azerbaijani experts will participate in reading black boxes in Brazil.
“This step will also avoid possible doubts about the objectivity of air accident investigations and increase confidence in the results for the international community. The direct participation of Azerbaijani experts and the support of international experts will further increase the completeness and accuracy of the investigation,” reads the statement.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev directed a thorough and impartial investigation into an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near Aktau at a Dec. 28 meeting in Astana.
At the initiative of the Russian side, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a telephone conversation with President of Russia Vladimir Putin on Saturday. The Presidents emphasized the importance of ensuring a comprehensive and transparent investigation as part of the ongoing investigative activities.
Tokayev also awarded Kazakh citizens for bravery, professionalism and civic responsibility in rescuing passengers from the crashed plane.
In an interview with Az.TV on Dec. 29, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev praised the solidarity and compassion demonstrated by Kazakh citizens after the tragic plane crash.
The crash killed 38 people and left 29 injured, including three children.
