A flight attendant desperately tried to comfort passengers with four words before she was killed in a tragic Christmas Day plane crash.
Hokuma Aliyeva was working onboard the doomed Azerbaijan Airlines flight that may have been shot down by a Russian missile. The 33-year-old was one of 38 people who tragically died when the plane crashed in Kazakhstan as it attempted to land.
It had been traveling from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to Grozny in Chechnya, Russian, where it appears it may have been struck by something, The Mirror reports.
Hero pilots, Captain Igor Kysnyakin and co-pilot Aleksandr Kalayaninov have been praised for their efforts trying to save the plane. They managed to fly it out of Russian airspace, with 29 people on board surviving the disaster. Both pilots died as did Ms Alieyeva who was recorded trying to keep people calm on board during the terrifying moments before it crash landed.
In a clip she can be heard saying: “Everything will be fine.” Her family have now paid tribute saying “she always told us to be proud of her”. Subkhonkul Rahimov, a passenger from Yekaterinburg who survived the crash, also told how courageous was Ms Aliyeva.
“The flight attendant who was closer to the pilots endured a horrifying situation … She showed determination and carried out all her functions and duties perfectly in such a situation,” Mr Rahimov told local media. “I remember when she told people to ‘stay calm’ – there was a man who was getting agitated – of course, it was important to stay calm. She spoke mainly in Azerbaijani and was calming people down.”
Ms Alieyeva was with Azerbaijan Airlines since 2016 as a flight attendant after studying law. Her devastated family have described her as a “cheerful person”. They said: “She had visited many countries and always told us to be proud of her. Once, after returning from a trip, she said their plane almost crashed… This time, the crash happened, and my daughter couldn’t survive.”
Meanwhile, another air steward Zulfugar Asadov gave a vivid account of what happened on the doomed flight: “We departed for Grozny at 8:00am. As we approached for landing, we saw that the airport was covered in very thick fog. The captain began descending but had to abort the landing and circle around due to poor visibility, hoping the fog would clear. However, the second and third landing attempts also failed.”
The pilot decided to head to the nearest airport he explained, adding: “But at that moment, we heard a strange noise coming from outside the plane. I immediately went into the cabin with my female colleague Aydan Ragimli. We saw panic spreading among the passengers.”
He continued: “We reassured the passengers, telling them there was no need to worry, that everything was fine, and asked them to stay in their seats and fasten their seatbelts. At that moment, I was cut on the arm by an impact that occurred outside the plane.”
Captain Kshnyakin went on to try and land at Aktau in Kazakhstan. “In my opinion, the front landing gear was the first to touch the ground,” said Mr Asadov. “If the plane had touched down with both the front and rear landing gears at the same time, no one would have survived. When the front landing gear touched the ground, the plane broke into two pieces, and the front cockpit was torn off.
“I remained conscious despite bleeding heavily, but it was very difficult to breathe. Aydan Ragimli and I were lying near the door, and I tried to open it. Once the air entered the cabin, breathing became easier. We began helping passengers and evacuating with them. A rescue team was waiting outside. I called them because my hand injury was severe, and I had no strength left. I asked them to help evacuate the surviving passengers. I am grateful for their assistance.”
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