Azerbaijani plane crashes in Afghanistan, 7 killed according to preliminary data
According to unconfirmed information, an АН-12 freight plane of Azerbaijan's Silk Way airline crashed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Trend news agency reports citing a statement of the State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan.
APA news agency informs that according to preliminary data, seven of the plane’s nine crew members were killed.
The freight plane crashed after taking off from Dwyer airport. The international crew of the hired plane consisted of an Uzbekistani (the captain), three Ukrainian and five Azerbaijani citizens. Sources from the company told Minval.az that Rashid Shaydanov was the commander of the crew. Other members of the crew are Altay Abdullayev (second pilot), Nadir Rzayev (flight mechanic), Nazim Asadullayev (navigator), Azer Zulfiyev (operator), and Firdovsi Aliyev (on-board wireless operator).
A commission for investigating the incident has been created by the Azerbaijani State Civil Aviation Administration.
This is the second Azerbaijani plane crashed in Afghanistan. At night of July 6, 2011, IL-76 4K-AZ55 freight plane of the Silk Way airline was hit by Taliban members in Afghanistan.