May 20, 2016
CAIRO: The crash site of EgyptAir jetliner flight 804 from Paris to Cairo with 66
people on board that disappeared over the Mediterranean sea Thursday early
morning has been located at 290 km north off Alexandra, halfway between the
Egyptian coastal city and the Greek island of Crete. The passengers included 30
Egyptian and 15 French nationals. Human parts and debris of luggage and seats
were found by searches.
The automatic Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) on the ground had captured data of some disturbance around the plane: smoke in the lavatory area and flight control system failure before it plunged.
Egyptian and European investigators said terrosism could be confirmed only when
the blackbox and wreckage are recovered from a depth of 8,000 feet waters and
examined. Security officials said the passenger list had no suspect names,
although Egyptian authorities believe the crash was an act of terrorism.
It may be noted that in the October Russian Airbus A320 crash no group had
claimed responsibility for more than 36 hours.
It all appeared mysterious how Thursday's nighttime flight of Airbus A320
suddenly swerved left and then right and plunged in the sea leaving no signals.
"The Egyptian navy was able to retrieve more debris from the plane, some of the
passengers' belongings, human remains, and plane seats," the Civil Aviation
Ministry said in a statement. Sources said, flight data from the automatic Aircraft
Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) indicated said smoke
alerts. What is confirmed is that there was some disturbance surrounding the
plane at the time it disappeared from tracking which could be from a fault and a
breakup or an explosion. Some analysts said the ACARS data indicated smoke
from the lavatory and flight control system failure.
It is learnt that the pilot had 15 years' experience and came from a family of
viation experts. It is also reported that Mahamed Saeed Ali Shouqair was a critic
of Muslim Brotherhood and supported Sisi.
The American experts, meanwhile, are reported to have played down the sabotage
angle to blame structural fault with the Airbus.
Since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's takeover in 2013, there have been stepped
up militant activity by jihadists in Egypt. A Russian jet was downed in October
last over Sinai, after taking off from an Egyptian tourist resort, killing 224 people.
In this case, the Islamic State had claimed responsibility.
