Aviation mystery: Azerbaijani airliner's fatal detour raises questions

A puzzling deviation from its flight path by hundreds of kilometers preceded the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft in Kazakhstan Wednesday, raising questions about possible connections to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Of the 68 passengers and crew aboard, 29 survived the crash – some critically injured in what officials are calling a miraculous outcome. But the circumstances leading to the disaster have aviation experts and international observers searching for answers.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 reveals a perplexing narrative: The aircraft initially followed its planned eastward trajectory before vanishing from radar screens. When it reappeared, it was hundreds of kilometers off course, detected northeast of the Caspian Sea instead of continuing its scheduled route toward Chechnya.

The timing coincides with reports of intense Ukrainian drone activity along the plane's original flight path, potentially explaining the dramatic course change. However, a more troubling question has emerged: Why did the crew disable the aircraft's transponders?

Russian air defense authorities attribute the crash to a bird strike, but this explanation faces mounting skepticism. Aviation experts point to two critical inconsistencies: the discovery of multiple bullet-sized holes in the fuselage, and the aircraft's unusually steep, rapid descent pattern – characteristics inconsistent with typical bird strike incidents.

While Russian officials confirm recovery of the flight data recorder, the geopolitical context suggests full transparency may prove elusive.

Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.