It has been 29 years since the deadliest aviation accident in Azerbaijan's aviation history.

Axar.az reports that on December 5, 1995, a Tu-134B passenger aircraft, owned by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), which was carrying 76 passengers and 6 crew members on the "Nakhchivan-Baku" flight number 56, crashed shortly after takeoff at around 18:00.

This remains the most horrific accident in Azerbaijan's aviation history.

According to reports, after taking off, the aircraft reached an altitude of 60 meters and a speed of 317 km/h before a problem was detected in one of the engines. Despite the failure of the left engine, the onboard engineer mistakenly switched off the right engine.

The pilot decided to attempt an emergency landing when the aircraft was at an altitude of 197 meters. As the aircraft’s speed decreased to 290 km/h, it approached an area with residential buildings. In an attempt to avoid a catastrophic crash, the pilots tried to turn the aircraft towards an open field to the right at a 37-degree angle.

However, their attempt was not enough to prevent the crash. The plane eventually crashed into a plowed field in the Khatai neighborhood of Nakhchivan city (Sovetabad), striking high-voltage power lines and catching fire. As a result of the crash, 52 people, including 4 crew members, lost their lives out of the 82 people onboard.