Azerbaijan's Ministry of Digital Development and Transport said the preliminary report released Tuesday on the Dec. 25 crash of an Embraer 190 aircraft near Aktau indicated the plane suffered damage due to external impact, dismissing bird strikes and cylinder explosions as causes.

In a statement reacting to the report, the ministry emphasized that the aircraft, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, was fully airworthy at takeoff and experienced no mechanical failures before impact.

The ministry said that analysis of the flight recorders confirmed the aircraft lost GPS signals over Russian airspace and Grozny Airport with two external noises recorded 24 seconds apart, followed by the sequential failure of the hydraulic systems.

The fuselage suffered numerous through and blind damage, particularly in the aft section, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, left wing, and left engine, caused by foreign objects. No evidence of a bird strike or cylinder explosion was found, the ministry said citing the preliminary report.

Foreign objects, which did not belong to the aircraft, were discovered in the wreckage, and their exact origin would be determined through further expert examinations, the ministry added.

The crash occurred as Flight J2-8243 was en route from Baku to Grozny. The accident resulted in the deaths of two pilots, a senior flight attendant, and 35 passengers. Despite the severity of the crash, 29 people survived due to the crew's emergency landing efforts, the ministry said.

Kazakhstan, as the country where the crash took place, is leading the investigation with Azerbaijan's full participation. The final report on the accident's causes is expected to be published within a year, in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.

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