Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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Was it sabotage?

Amira Ibrahim

Before flying to Boeing headquarters in Seattle to join other Egyptian investigators, EgyptAir's chief pilot Tarek Selim expressed his belief that the crash of Flight 990 could only have been caused by an explosion that snapped the tail off from the body of the Boeing 767. A bomb or missile explosion hitting the tail caused a sharp fall in cabin pressure, sending the plane down and the passengers and crew into a death coma. This is the reason, he said, the crew had no time to ask for help.

Selim rejected as "nonsense" leaked reports that the 31 October crash into the Atlantic was the act of a suicidal co-pilot or the result of a quarrel between the pilot and his assistant. According to published reports, the plane, which was cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet, dropped rapidly to 16,700 feet, then climbed up to 24,000 feet before plummeting into the ocean.

"The plane, weighing 174 tons, was flying at a speed of Mach 0.86, the speed of sound," Selim said. "Then, it began descending at a speed of 23,600 feet per minute, which is three times faster than what is usual in an emergency situation. Even if we conceded that the nose was turned upwards briefly, which can never happen, the plane would have continued to fall backwards towards the water."

What would make the plane fall three times faster than usual? "Only when the tail unit is not there," Selim responded. The tail unit, he added, is equipped with a stabiliser that allows a maximum speed of 7,000 feet per minute. "It cannot go faster, even if the pilot wanted to, unless the tail unit was not there," he said.

"There are two possibilities that would cause the tail unit to split off. Either a bomb was attached to the tail or it was hit by a missile," Selim argued.

Expounding his theory, Selim said the presumed explosion caused pressure -- which is not one of the 150 systems monitored by the flight data recorder -- to fall sharply inside the cabin. As a result, the plane went into the fatal dive, during which the passengers and crew would have become weightless, he added.

Selim went as far as to suggest that the plane, apart from the tail unit, is lying intact at the bottom of the ocean, with the bodies of the passengers and crew inside. "This is why no dead bodies have been found," he argued.

The severing of the tail unit caused the automatic pilot, which is connected to it, to disengage, Selim said. A few seconds later, the two engines shut down due to the rapid speed of descent, which exceeded the engines' capacity, he added. Boeing officials have said that the automatic pilot and the engines could only be shut down manually.

With 35 years of experience as a pilot, Selim ruled out the possibility of a mechanical problem. The released data show that the plane was flying normally at an altitude of 33,000 feet until the automatic pilot was disengaged, he said. "I flew the Boeing 767, which is one of the best aircrafts, for 12 years, without any major problems," he added.

"Any problem, and I mean any problem, apart from an explosion, can be handled and the plane would remain under full control," Selim said. "Let us examine the problems that might occur. An engine is on fire? Put out the fire, shut the engine down, contact the nearest control tower and start descending until you get permission to land. The two engines are on fire? Shut them down. Flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet means the pilot has a chance to glide for 35 minutes, which are enough to make an emergency landing. In all circumstances, the pilot certainly will have plenty of time to talk, contact control points and act according to instructions. In case of a serious emergency, all the pilot has to do is say 'Mayday' and the distress call will be heard by all airports, ships and even submarines. But they did not have the chance to utter this word, which means the plane fell down in no time at all."

Was the crash the act of a suicidal co-pilot? "Nobody is coming up with hard evidence," Selim replied. "It doesn't make sense for someone to pick up bits and pieces and say that this is the story. The pilot and co-pilot were among the best people we have."

Even assuming that co-pilot Gamil El-Batouti had wanted to commit suicide, "he had a better and easier chance to crash the plane 50 metres after takeoff. Why would he torture himself, falling down into the ocean from such a height?" Selim argued.

According to published data, El-Batouti was not in the co-pilot's seat during take-off.

"I believe the speculations fueled by leaks of information from the cockpit tape recorder are ridiculous," Selim said. "How could they know that the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit from a voice recorder alone and not a video tape?"

Under the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), if a plane falls into international waters, the country with which it is registered is responsible for the investigation. But Egypt asked the US to conduct the investigation.

"The American side is suspected by Egyptians because the plane had taken off from an American airport. If it was a bomb, this would mean that Kennedy Airport is not safe. If it was a missile, then the US is also to blame. Perhaps the investigation should have been conducted by other countries, also in possession of advanced technology," he argued.

Selim was due to join other Egyptian investigators in Seattle to use a 767 simulator to help unravel the mystery.

"Those who died are dear colleagues. They are victims. Whoever committed the crime should be identified and punished," Selim said.

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