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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 August 2000 Issue No. 495 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 August 2000 Issue No. 495
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters 767 advisory
EGYPTAIR officials hailed a Boeing Company service bulletin on Tuesday, as evidence supporting their theory that a mechanical fault forced the airline's Flight 990 from New York into a fatal dive last year -- rather than a suicidal co-pilot.Boeing urged all airlines flying the twin-engine wide-bodied 767 to perform a special inspection to assure the integrity of parts that help move elevators -- surfaces on the tail used to direct the nose up or down. A Boeing spokeswoman said the inspection was not related to the EgyptAir investigation, insisting the 767 was designed to land safely even with a dual failure of the elevator linkages.
But Captain Shaker Kelada, vice-president of safety for EgyptAir and the head of the EgyptAir team investigating the crash, stated that the service bulletin supports the mechanical fault theory. He now expects the US National Transportation Safety Board to look again at a possible mechanical explanation for the crash.
In total, 217 people died in the tragedy.
Stricken sub
AFTER two failures on Tuesday, Russian rescuers were again hampered by bad weather during their third attempt yesterday to reach 116 sailors trapped in the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk on the bed of the Barents Sea.The Kursk crew were forced to cut power and let their 150-metre long craft sink to the sea-bed after a still unexplained accident on Sunday. Russian Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov said rescue capsules were actively trying to reach the huge submarine. The crew is thought to have just 48 hours of oxygen left.
Meanwhile, Russian navy officials met with their NATO counterparts in Brussels yesterday to discuss possible Western assistance. Britain announced it was preparing to send a submarine to help in the rescue effort. Russian officials said the damage may have been caused by a collision or an explosion, but have been reluctant to give firm details. (see p.9)
