Investigations on EgyptAir plane crash tend to technical defects
Egypt-USA, Local, 9/17/2001

The issue of Egyptian plane that crashed into the ocean off US coasts on October 1999, killing all passengers and crewmembers on board (217), is still hot like the bloods of its victims.

The crash returned once again to focus after a spokesman of the National Transport Safety Board announced the termination of a series of technical test on the Boeing 767.

He said that both the Egyptian and US parties are currently studying the results of the tests effected in the manufacturing company in Seattle, to know whether or not the Egyptian plane was subject to a technical failure.

He refused to disclose the nature of such tests or its probable impact on the course of investigations about the cause of the crash. He didn't also announce the existence of a certain time limit to finish the study of the tests.

US experts and analysis expected that the investigations would end by next January, with the conclusion of technical defects.

The new aspects in this issue have changed the course of investigations, after the US investigators insisted on blaming crew members them for the accident.

The technical tests on the Boeing type in general revealed the existence of a default in the control system of the plane.

The Egyptian government has received the draft report on the accident last April, then two months later it presented some technical remarks to be taken into consideration during the preparation of the final report.

Egyptian believes that there are a lot of aspects that need to be considered before the determination of the real causes of the crash, with special emphasis on the control system of the Boeing 767.

The airline insists that the investigations on EgyptAir plane, and similar problems on Boeing 767 planes in general raise a lot of queries about the efficiency of the control system of such aircraft type.

Dr. Ahmed Fayez, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Zagazig University termed the tendency towards the study of the technical reasons of the crash as a success of the Egyptian policy in rejecting the allegations about the suicide of co-pilot El-Batouti.

Capt. Mahmoud Shahin said that it is only impossible that the US side would officially declare that he has attained the right conclusions and confirm the existence of technical reasons, as they've already attributed the crash to the suicide of the co-pilot.

Capt. Ashraf El-Hawari said that the technical problems of the Boeing 767 are too much, and the US investigators would have dealt with such problems before preparing their draft report.

Capt. John Elias Sadek, the spokesman of Egyptian Pilots League said the International Pilots Association has issued a statement about the existence of defects in the investigations that jumped to conclusions in the absence of categorical evidence.

Previous Stories:
  Egyptian American sides study findings of tests on Boeing 767 plane tests   (9/8/2001)
  Seattle tests could conclude   (9/1/2001)
  Rayan, Boeing Chairman meet on EgyptAir crash   (7/30/2001)

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