The voice recorder recovered from the remains of EgyptAir Flight 804 wreckage confirms that there was a fire in different parts of the cockpit. Egyptian authorities reported on Tuesday that the investigators managed to get the audio from the device. According to them, it can be heard as one of the pilots tries to put out the fire before the plane crashed. However, they still have no clues on what could have caused the problem.
The people leading the investigation said the audio captured crew members speaking, alarms and background noise, but the labors to patch up the pieces and understand the situation are still ongoing. So far, the only thing they know for sure is that one of the pilots was trying to put out a fire in the cabin moments before the devices stopped recording.
The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Report System (ACARS) is an automated communication software that keeps ground control posted on the status of the equipment in an aircraft. The ground team received a total of seven messages from EgyptAir Flight 804’s ACARS indicating that there was smoke in front of the restroom and in the avionics below the cockpit.
There are strong signals of an internal explosion
The Telegraph claims an anonymous pilot got in touch with its staff. The man who flies an A330, which is similar to the one that crashed, said that by looking at the data logs it was safe to say there was an explosion. The ACARS installed in Flight 804 also sent three emergency signals indicating there were faults with the windows next to the co-pilot which gives credibility to the bomb theory.
“It looks like the right front and side window were blown out, most probably from inside out,” said the unknown pilot.
In this regard, the information is confusing. According to the Associated Press, an anonymous forensics expert that was part of the investigation team said there were strong signs of an explosion. The man told the press the rescue and salvage teams found 80 body parts, as of that moment, and that “they all were the size of a hand.” However, Dr. Hisham Abdel Hamid, who is the forensics investigation leader, denied these statements.
Authorities have not proved it was a terrorist attack
All the found evidence indicates that there was a bomb on the plane, and its explosion could have started the fire confirmed by the voice recorders. It would also explain the absence of a distress call from the crew. The violence in which the remains were torn apart could also sustain that theory altogether with the unconfirmed reports of the body parts. However, the fact that no terrorist organization took credit for the attack makes some people think that maybe they were not involved. With 66 fatal victims and a destroyed plane, it would be a good chance for extremists to break the trust people have in airport security.
There are still too many missing pieces in this puzzle such as the black box which could probably expose the true behind Flight 804’s crash. So far, everything indicates that there was an explosion which could have caused the fire. This would explain why the crew did not contact ground support, and the erratic flight pattern the plane presented before the accident. However, it does not prove there was a terrorist organization behind a bomb attack.
Source: CNN