An investigative committee formed by EgyptAir has denounced as “completely incorrect” the results of an official American probe of a October 31, 1999 crash, in which one of the flag carrier’s flights plummeted into the sea off the US coast, reported Al Gomhuria Arabic daily.
The head of the committee, Captain Shaker Kiladah, told the Egyptian daily that the American investigators had neither completed nor followed up on the probe in terms of various possible causes, a fact he said had led to the investigation’s “severe deficiency.”
In his first public comments after the Egyptian committee delivered its response to the Americans, Kiladah said that “the most important aspects neglected by the American investigators were their disregard for what happened to the aircraft’s tail unit.”
He said this was “very important, particularly since a Boeing 767, similar to the afflicted plane, turned out to have a defective tail during its trip from Dallas in the US to France, and was about to face the same catastrophe.”
The US team has begun to study the Egyptian response, and a final report is expected to be released within six to eight months, he said, “unless the Americans extend this to one year, because they have the right to take their time before releasing the report.”
The report is expected to include the response and views of both the Egyptian and US investigators, said the captain.
“The Egyptian response is in its best form, and is supported by events and valuable information in a 250-page report,” said Kiladah.
The committee chief added that the matter would not be closed simply by delivering the response report.
“We will intensify our efforts in the near future to explain Egypt’s point of view to the world,” said the captain, adding “we will participate in the International Pilots Union conference, which will be held in Prague at the end of this month, and in another international conference to be held in Canada next September by the Aviation Accidents Investigators League.”
“We will present Egypt’s perspective on the incident in both conferences,” he said – Albawaba.com
