Aleksandr Kalyaninov

Aleksandr Georgievich Kalyaninov (Azerbaijani: Aleksandr Georgiyeviç Kalyaninov; 11 December 1992 – 25 December 2024) was an Azerbaijani commercial airline pilot who was recognized as a National Hero of Azerbaijan.

[2] On 25 December 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 aircraft, was struck by a Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system.

[3][4] Despite the failure of control systems, the aircraft's captain Igor Kshnyakin and co-pilot Kalyaninov steered the aircraft, over the Caspian Sea, towards an area near Aktau International Airport.

During the emergency landing near Aktau, Kazakhstan, the plane crashed into the ground.

[5] The aircraft was carrying 67 people: 62 passengers and 5 crew members.