EgyptAir flight MS804 crash that killed 66 caused by FIRE not bomb, investigators find
The claim contradicts a previous Egyptian investigation that found traces of explosives on the wreckage - suggesting the accident was a terrorist attack
THE EgyptAir jet crash that killed all 66 people on board was caused by a cockpit fire, French investigators have said.
The claim contradicts a previous Egyptian investigation that found traces of explosives on the wreckage - suggesting the accident was a terrorist attack.
EgyptAir MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean.
Investigators determined that a fire broke out in or near the cockpit of the Airbus A320 before it crashed between Crete and the coast of northern Egypt.
France's BEA air accident investigation agency said it "considers that the most likely hypothesis is that a fire broke out in the cockpit while the aeroplane was flying at its cruise altitude and that the fire spread rapidly resulting in the loss of control of the aeroplane.
The BEA said Egyptian investigators had not published their final report and not followed up on its proposals for further work on the debris.
Egypt's aviation minister at the time, Sherif Fathy, said a terrorist attack was the most likely cause of the EgyptAir crash shortly after the horrific crash.
"The BEA considers that it is necessary to have this final report in order to have the possibility of understanding the cause of the accident and to provide the aviation community with the safety lessons which could prevent future accidents."
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Among the 66 people on board the EgyptAir plane were 40 Egyptians, including the 10-member crew, and 15 French nationals.
The plane only entered service in 2003, making it relatively new for an aircraft that tends to operate for 30 to 40 years.
The EgyptAir plane was flying at 37,000 feet (11,000 metres) and disappeared about 130 nautical miles off the Greek island of Karpathos.
The plane plunged 22,000 feet and swerved sharply before it disappeared from radar screens, Greece's then-Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said.
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