Smoke Detected in EgyptAir Plane Before It Crashed: Investigators
Flight MS804 had 59 passengers and ten crew members aboard.
What We Know So Far:
- EgyptAir MS804 flight from Paris to Cairo went off the radar early on Thursday morning.
- It went missing over the Mediterranean Sea.
- The flight had a total of 66 people on board.
- Civil Aviation Ministry officials had first said the plane had crashed into the sea but later said it could not be confirmed.
- French President Francois Hollande later confirmed that the missing flight has crashed.
- Russian Federal Security Service said the crash was a terrorist attack.
- Flight debris and some passenger belongings found 295km north of Alexandria.
Smoke Detected Inside Cabin
Smoke alerts were detected inside the cabin of the EgyptAir plane, according to data published on air industry website, The Aviation Herald, on Friday. Smoke was detected in the toilet and the aircraft’s electrics, just minutes before the signal was lost on Thursday.
Possible Oil Slick Detected
Satellite detects a possible oil-slick in the region where the plane crashed.
Greek defence minister has Panos Kammenos said that the first human remains, 2 seats, passengers suitcases have been found.
Flight Debris and Passenger Belongings Found
Egyptian military spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Samir has said that passenger belongings and debris of Flight MS804 have been found, 290 km north of the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt.
The search for the black box is still on.
The US navy has dispatched a P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft from a base in Sicily, according to The Guardian reports.
France, Greece and Turkey have already joined search operations with Egypt.
Bodies Found
Greece has reportedly found the bodies of two people suspected to have been aboard EgyptAir flight MS804 have been found floating in the Mediterranean Sea. Wreckage from the aircraft has also been found.
Crash Was Terrorist Attack: Russia FSB
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has confirmed that the aircraft crash was terror-related.
MS804 Suddenly Lost Altitude Before Disappearing: Greek Def Min
Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said that the aircraft made “abrupt turns and suddenly lost altitude” before disappearing from the radar.
EgyptAir Flight MS804 Has Crashed: French President Hollande
French President Francois Hollande has confirmed that EgyptAir flight MS804 has crashed. The cause of the crash remains undetermined and President Hollande said that no cause can as yet be ruled out.
Paris prosecutor announces an investigation into the EgyptAir crash.
A French surveillance jet has joined the search for the missing aircraft. Officials seem unable to ascertain whether or not the flight has crashed, and have said instead that nothing is confirmed yet.
An EgyptAir MS804 flight from Paris to Cairo went missing early Thursday morning over the Mediterranean.
Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said the search for the missing flight was underway and it was too early to rule out any explanation for the incident, including terrorism.
There were no weather issues at the time and in the vicinity of the area where the flight went missing, European air traffic network manager, Eurocontrol said.
Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said in a statement that it was too early to confirm if a the plane had crashed.
Aviation officials, speaking off the record, have said that the plane most likely crashed. However, search teams have yet to find any wreckage to confirm this.
Confusion also reigned over whether the missing plane sent a distress signal that was picked up by the Egyptian military. EgyptAir said in a statement earlier that a signal had been received by the army more than an hour after the plane was due to land. The army, however, later denied receiving a distress signal.
Airbus has come out with in official statement:
The flight was due to land at 03:15 am.
FlightRadar 24 posted an image of the last known location of the missing aircraft.
Flight MS804 had a total of 56 passengers, including three children and ten crew members.
The aircraft had lost contact with ground crews at 2.45 am local time, about 16 km inside Egyptian airspace. The airbus was about 40 minutes away from its destination. It was the aircraft’s fifth flight of the day, with journeys to Asmara, Eritrea and Carthage in Tunisia, The Guardian reported.
The flight had 30 Egyptians and 15 French on board.
Cairo airport was put on high alert after this.
The airline tweeted that the aircraft was manufactured in 2003. The pilot had 6275 flying hours experience while the co-pilot 2766.
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