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EgyptAir: 'Smoke detected' inside cabin before crash EgyptAir: Smoke detected inside cabin before crash
(35 minutes later)
There were smoke alerts inside the cabin of the EgyptAir passenger plane before it crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday, reports say. Smoke was detected inside the cabin of the EgyptAir passenger plane before it crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday, investigators have confirmed.
Smoke was detected in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, just minutes before the signal was lost, according to data published on air industry website the Aviation Herald. Smoke detectors went off in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, minutes before the signal was lost, according to the Aviation Herald.
French investigators have confirmed the data, AFP reported. A spokesman for French investigators said it was too early to say what caused the accident.
Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board.Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board.
The Aviation Herald said it had received flight data filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) from three independent channels.The Aviation Herald said it had received flight data filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) from three independent channels.
It said the system showed that at 02:26 local time on Thursday (00:26 GMT) smoke was detected in the Airbus A320 toilet.It said the system showed that at 02:26 local time on Thursday (00:26 GMT) smoke was detected in the Airbus A320 toilet.
A minute later - at 00:27 GMT - there was an avionics smoke alert.A minute later - at 00:27 GMT - there was an avionics smoke alert.
The last ACARS message was at 00:29 GMT, the air industry website said, and the contact with the plane was lost four minutes later at 02;33 local time.The last ACARS message was at 00:29 GMT, the air industry website said, and the contact with the plane was lost four minutes later at 02;33 local time.
ACARS is used to routinely download flight data to the airline operating the aircraft.ACARS is used to routinely download flight data to the airline operating the aircraft.
Confirming the data, France's Bureau of Investigations and Analysis told AFP it was "far too soon to interpret and understand the cause of the accident as long as we have not found the wreckage or the flight data recorders".
Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, told the BBC that technical failure could not be ruled out.Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, told the BBC that technical failure could not be ruled out.
"There was smoke reported in the aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the avionics bay, and over a period of three minutes the aircraft's systems shut down, so you know, that's starting to indicate that it probably wasn't a hijack, it probably wasn't a struggle in the cockpit, it's more likely a fire on board. "There was smoke reported in the aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the avionics bay, and over a period of three minutes the aircraft's systems shut down, so you know, that's starting to indicate that it probably wasn't a hijack, it probably wasn't a struggle in the cockpit, it's more likely a fire on board."
"Now whether that was a technical fire, a short circuit, or whether it was because a bomb went off on board, we don't know," he added. Analysis: Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent
Greece earlier said that radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea. This data could be the biggest clue yet as to what happened. It suggests there was a fire at the front of the aircraft, on the right-hand side.
Debris and body parts were found on Friday by teams searching for the wreckage of the Airbus320, Greek and Egyptian officials said. The sequence begins with a warning of an overheating window in the cockpit. Smoke is then detected in the lavatory (we assume it's the one behind the cockpit) and in a bay right underneath the cockpit, which is full of electronic equipment.
Items including seats and luggage have also been retrieved by Egyptian search crews. Finally, another window becomes too hot, before all the systems begin collapsing. All of this takes place over a few minutes, then the aircraft drops off the radar.
The debris was discovered about 290km (180 miles) north of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said. Some pilots have suggested that the 90 degree left turn the plane then made is a known manoeuvre to get out of the way in an emergency, when an aircraft needs to drop height suddenly.
The 360 degree turn after that, they say, could be the crew managing a crisis.
So it seems that the aircraft caught fire and that the fire spread very quickly. But whether that fire was deliberate or mechanical, we still can't say.
Security consultant Sally Leivesley said the timing on the data suggested an "extremely rapidly developing flame front from a fire that has overwhelmed the avionics very, very quickly".
She cited the case of "underpants bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to set off an explosive device hidden in his underwear on a Detroit-bound flight in 2009.
Although the attempt failed, a fire from the device's chemicals still spread "right up the side of the plane".
The focus of the investigationThe focus of the investigation
European Space Agency satellites spotted an oil slick in the area where the flight had vanished - but the organisation said there was no guarantee it was from the plane. Greece says radar shows the Airbus A320 making two sharp turns and dropping more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea.
The search is now focused on finding the plane's flight recorders, the Associated Press news agency reports. The search is now focused on finding the plane's flight recorders.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed his "utmost sadness and regret" at the crash. But aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas warned there might be a "very long search", citing the case of Air France 447.
Egypt has said the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault. That plane crashed in the Atlantic in 2009 at a similar depth to the area in which the Egyptair jet is thought to have gone done down. It took two years to find the main body of wreckage and the black boxes.
However, there has been "absolutely no indication" so far as to why the plane came down, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday.
What do we know about what happened?What do we know about what happened?
Three investigators from the French air accident investigation bureau, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry. Three French air investigators, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry.
The BBC has learned the plane that disappeared was forced to make an emergency landing in 2013 after the pilot noticed the engine overheating, but an official report said the defect had been repaired.The BBC has learned the plane that disappeared was forced to make an emergency landing in 2013 after the pilot noticed the engine overheating, but an official report said the defect had been repaired.
In October, an Airbus A321 operated by Russia's Metrojet blew up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, with all 224 people on board killed.In October, an Airbus A321 operated by Russia's Metrojet blew up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, with all 224 people on board killed.
Sinai Province, a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group, said it had smuggled a bomb on board.Sinai Province, a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group, said it had smuggled a bomb on board.
Who were the victims?Who were the victims?
The names of some of those who were on board have emerged, but most have not been identified publicly.The names of some of those who were on board have emerged, but most have not been identified publicly.
Those on board included:Those on board included:
Read more on some of the MS804 victims hereRead more on some of the MS804 victims here
If anyone is concerned about relatives or friends following the disappearance of the flight, they can call this free number provided by EgyptAir: +202 259 89320If anyone is concerned about relatives or friends following the disappearance of the flight, they can call this free number provided by EgyptAir: +202 259 89320