Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217

Azerbaijan Airlines

Industry	Airline
Headquarters	Baku , Azerbaijan
Products	Passenger air transport

Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 was a regularly scheduled passenger service connecting Baku and Aktau, Kazakhstan. On the night of 23 December 2005, at approximately 22:40, the aircraft crashed into the Caspian Sea. The operation was conducted using an Antonov An-140.

Accident

Shortly after departing from Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku during nighttime, the flight crew reported experiencing a system malfunction roughly five minutes into the journey. Navigating over the Caspian Sea without functional flight instruments under darkness severely impaired the pilots’ ability to assess their flight parameters. While attempting to turn back to Baku, the aircraft impacted the Caspian Sea shoreline, resulting in the loss of all 23 individuals aboard.

Aftermath

Following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines halted operations involving its remaining fleet of Antonov An-140 airplanes and abandoned its plans to procure two additional units of this model.

Investigation

The aircraft appeared to have departed with its gyro horizons locked in the caged position. Analysis conducted by the Kharkiv State Aircraft Manufacturing Company revealed that, during the ascent phase, all three of the plane's independent gyroscopes malfunctioned, failing to deliver stabilized data on pitch, roll, heading, and altitude to the flight crew.

External links

• Aviation-Safety.net