The Embraer 190 was traveling to Grozny, Russia, but crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people onboard. Investigators are focusing on Russian air defense as the likely cause.

The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet.

"We can clearly say today that the plane was shot down by Russia," President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised statement

The second black box has been found at the plane crash site near Aktau and handed over to the investigation department, according to a Kazakh official from transport department on Thursday. The Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan's president accused Russia of trying to cover up its role in a plane crash that killed 38 people. Preliminary results of Azerbaijan’s investigation into the crash indicated that a missile from a Russian air-defense system hit the aircraft.

On Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, a tragedy claimed the lives of 38 people when an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flight number 8243, crashed during an emergency landing near the city of Aktau. Despite the quick response of rescue services,

The black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan, believed to have been caused by a Russian missile, is being sent to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities reported on Dec. 29. Kazakhstan’s decision aligns with Azerbaijan's call for a transparent probe into the crash,