Seattle tests could conclude

A series of mechanical tests underway on a grounded Boeing 767 this week could bring to an end the investigation into what caused the October 1999 crash of Egypt Air flight 990 off the US coast, officials said on Wednesday.

The tests are designed to see if a theoretical failure of the jet's mechanical systems could have caused the Boeing Co. 767-300ER to crash into the Atlantic, killing about 217 people on board.

US investigators have focused the possibility that co-pilot Gamil al-Batouti deliberately crashed the Cairo-bound plane after taking off from Kennedy airport in New York.

Egyptian officials, strongly rejecting the suicide theory, have called attention to the possible failure of the plane's elevator panels the tail's movable components that trod the plane up and down movement.

The current tests, expected to be the last investigation, will need to run before compiling the report, said National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz.

"We are in the final stages," he said.

An initial NTSB report has been presented to Egyptian officials, who request deeper probe into the possibility of mechanical failure.

"We made clear to the American company that there are some points which must be investigated so that we can find out the truth and the reasons for the fall of the craft, to prevent the accident happen again," Egypt Air Chairman Mohammad Fahim Rayan said.