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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Conflicting interpretations
By Thomas Gorguissian
The National Transportation Safety Board, for now at least, will continue to lead the investigation into the EgyptAir 990 crash, delaying a takeover by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), NTSB chairman James Hall announced at a news conference in Washington.
The decision was taken at the request of the Cairo government in order to allow additional Egyptian experts, led by Abdel-Fattah Qatu, head of the Civil Aviation Authority, to join the investigation.
"Authorities from both governments are further analysing the significance and the meaning of the cockpit voice recorder," Hall said.
Earlier in the day the FBI had been prepared to take charge of the investigation and the NTSB ready to hand it over on the basis of interpretations of the cockpit voice recordings which investigators thought indicated that the crash might have been "criminal act".
It was reported that "a prayer of some type" was said by a member of the crew as the plane began its dive. But what were those words in Arabic?
They were not disclosed, although several English versions of what was said were mentioned in different press reports. No American official, even on condition of anonymity, would mention what the "religious statement" was.
Some commentators have suggested that cultural differences have to be taken into consideration. Moreover, it is necessary to ascertain when it was said -- before the plunge or during it -- how it was said, and in what context.
In Cairo, an official source told Al-Ahram Weekly that Egypt had informed the United States that a premature takeover of the investigation by the FBI would trigger an "explosion of Egyptian public opinion."
The official said that a FBI takeover would mean that other possibilities, such as a technical fault or an airport security lapse, had been eliminated. "It is illogical that these possibilities are eliminated so early in the investigation simply because a crew member had made a religious statement," the official said.
A senior EgyptAir official who requested anonymity said that uttering the shihada is a normal reaction when facing a crisis or an emergency situation. "It is certainly not indicative of an intention to commit suicide," he said.
Abdel-Azim Sedki, a spokesman for the airline, declined to comment on the Washington reports and cautioned that the leaked information should not be taken seriously.
Although EgyptAir "knows what was said on the voice cockpit recorder, it will not make this information available to the press and media at this stage," he said. "It is in the interests of our company and Egypt to wait until we have all the information before rushing into making statements."
At both the State Department regular briefing and NTSB news conference, the concerns of Egyptian authorities and their participation in the investigation were highlighted. Hall told reporters: "We are very appreciative of the assistance by the government of Egypt. The strong partnership between our countries in this investigation can only serve to strengthen the possibility that the final cause of this tragic crash will be determined."
Differing interpretations of the evidence was the issue in Hall's news conference. "As long as there are differences in the interpretation -- and there are significant differences in the cultural interpretations of some expressions on the recorder -- I think it is unfair to individuals who have strong interest in this investigation, as the families do, for us to characterise it without being sure that there is agreement on the characterisation," Hall said.
Asked about the possibility of releasing the "original Arabic version" of the cockpit voice recorder to let those who know the language make their own decision, Hall said that "this is not in our policy," but added "at some point in time, a correct transcript would be available".
Hall told reporters: "We have found so far no sign of a mechanical or weather related event that could have caused this accident." He also stressed that "this investigation is continuing" and that FBI Director Louis Freeh and he had asked the US Navy Supervisor of Salvage to contract for a large ship with a heavy lift, capable of operating in heavy seas, and "send it to the accident site as soon as possible for the retrieval of human remains and aircraft wreckage."
The first black box, the flight data recorder, was recovered and analysed last week. Only two or three seconds at the end of the tape still require analysis. What was read was puzzling. At 33,000 feet the autopilot was disconnected, eight seconds later the aircraft nose was pointed down and the engines slowed; the airplane was then at zero gravity. After that, the Boeing 767 went down steeply at 86 per cent of the speed of sound, the right and left elevators were forced into opposite configurations, the engines were turned off and the plane reached an altitude of 18,000 feet. Then EgyptAir 990 climbed briefly, followed by a sudden plunge into the ocean.
With the recovery of the second black box, the cockpit voice recorder, late at night last Saturday, no conclusions were drawn from the initial review. A source close to the investigation said that the pilot and co-pilot "talked like pals" and both attempted to fix an unidentified problem.
But the conclusion reached 24 hours later was completely different. A concern surfaced that what was described as a "prayer of some type" might have been the last words of a pilot determined to end his life -- a concern that gained currency as a "hypothetical reading" or "potential scenario". The synchronisation of the records of the two black boxes is in process now to match what happened to the plane with what was said or heard in the cockpit, so that a timeline of the crash can be worked out.
