Egypt challenges US findings on Flight 990 crash
Egypt-USA, Local, 6/16/2001

Egypt has challenged preliminary findings of a US investigation that found no mechanical cause for the 1999 crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, a source with knowledge of the probe said.

Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority responded to an April draft report by the US National Transportation Safety Board b, submitting to the agency its own "analyst. and conclusions" of the accident that killed 217 people, a spokesman for the airline said.

EgyptAir refused to comment on the substance of the response, saying it was a confidential matter between the Egyptian ant US governments. Safety board officials also refused to comment.

But a source familiar with the probe said the report, as expected, questioned the preliminary finding that no mechanical failure could be found to explain why the Boeing 767 crashed into Atlantic waters off Massachusetts in October 1999.

Egyptian authorities suspect the Boeing 767's elevator panels-movable components on the tail that control the up-and-down movement of the aircraft-may have malfunctioned.

Boeing Co. officials would not comment on the NTSB draft report or the Egyptian response. In its response to the Safety Board report, Egyptian authorities said that it expected its material would be "included in their entirety in the NTSB final report."

An agency spokesman said the Egyptian material would be noted in the report even if the safety board does not include the information in its probable cause finding.

Previous Stories:
  Egyptian investigators on Boeing crash head for New York   (6/13/2001)
  Arab aviation companies support EgyptAir stand over Boeing issue   (5/9/2001)
  International pilots warns against jumping to conclusions in air crashes   (5/7/2001)

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