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EgyptAir Flight 804

From Alfawiki
EgyptAir
IndustryAirline
Founded1932; 94 years ago (1932)
Headquarters
Cairo
,
Egypt
ProductsPassenger air transport

EgyptAir Flight 804 was a planned international passenger service operated by EgyptAir, traveling from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Cairo International Airport. At 02:33 Egypt Standard Time (UTC+2) on 19 May 2016, the Airbus A320 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the loss of all 66 individuals on board.

While no distress call was transmitted to air traffic control, automatic alerts detected smoke within a lavatory and the avionics compartment shortly before the aircraft vanished from radar. The final signals received were two emergency locator messages captured by the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme. Debris was discovered approximately 290 kilometers north of Alexandria. Nearly a month later, significant portions of the wreckage were found on the ocean floor, and both flight recorders were retrieved during an international recovery effort. On 29 June, Egyptian authorities disclosed flight data indicating smoke presence inside the cabin alongside soot and heat damage on wreckage from the forward section.

On 30 October 2024, two divergent conclusions regarding the crash's cause emerged. Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority, which led the inquiry, concluded that an explosion in the galley area near the cockpit ignited rapidly spreading smoke and fire, intensified by oxygen supply. Conversely, the French investigative body BEA challenged this view, proposing that the fire likely originated from a malfunctioning oxygen mask.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320-232, registered SU-GCC with serial number 2088, built in 2003. Powered by two IAE V2527-A5 engines, this model of Airbus A320—first introduced in 1988—is a twin-engine jet capable of seating up to 180 passengers in high-density layouts but commonly configured for around 150 seats, with a maximum range of . This specific plane was delivered new to Egyptair in November 2003 and had accumulated 48,052 flight hours over 20,773 cycles.

On the day of the accident, the aircraft completed four legs: from Asmara International Airport, Eritrea, to Cairo; then Cairo to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, Tunisia; followed by a return flight to Cairo; and finally departed Tunis bound for Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport via Cairo.

Passengers and crew

A total of fifty-six passengers representing twelve different countries were aboard, including three minors and some individuals with dual nationality. The flight crew consisted of ten personnel: two pilots, five cabin attendants, and three security officers.

The captain, Mohamed Shoukair, aged 36, had accumulated 6,640 flight hours in total, with 2,108 hours on the Airbus A320. The first officer, Mohamed Assem, aged 25, had logged a total of 2,966 flying hours, including 2,771 hours on this aircraft type.

Flight

On 18 May 2016 at 23:09 (UTC+2), the airplane took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport bound for Cairo International Airport. It vanished from radar while cruising at flight level 370 (approximately ) in clear conditions, roughly north of the Egyptian coastline over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, around 02:30 on 19 May. The crash happened near 02:33, shortly following the last ACARS transmission, after a flight time of 3 hours and 25 minutes.

The scheduled touchdown time was 03:05. Early reports indicating a distress signal detected by Egyptian military forces at 04:26 were subsequently withdrawn.

On the day of the incident, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos stated that the aircraft executed a sharp change in course—initially turning 90 degrees to the left, followed by a full 360-degree turn to the right—while descending from flight level 370 to . This account was initially contested by Egyptian air traffic control officials, who denied any abnormal maneuvers or altitude alterations before radar contact ceased. The discrepancy may stem from variations in radar coverage. On 14 June, Egyptian authorities acknowledged the Greek version of events.

Aviation safety specialists observed that the initial left turn might have surpassed the aircraft’s computer-managed flight envelope and structural tolerances, suggesting a potential loss of control preceding the crash.

Initial efforts

The Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed launching search and rescue operations for the missing aircraft, collaborating with Greek officials. A spokesperson from Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority suggested that the plane likely went down in the sea. Contributions to the search included aircraft and naval vessels from Greece and France. The United Kingdom sent a naval ship, while the United States provided an aerial naval asset to assist with the mission.

Search area

On 20 May, personnel from the Egyptian Navy and Air Force discovered debris, human remains, personal effects of passengers, luggage, and aircraft seats at the crash location approximately off Egypt’s Alexandria coast. Between dusk on 20 May and dawn on 23 May, two debris fields were identified from aerial reconnaissance; one spanned a radius of . The search zone covered nearly , with ocean depths ranging between 2,440 and 3,050 metres (8,000 to 10,000 feet).

The European Space Agency (ESA) reported on 20 May that its Sentinel-1A satellite may have detected a fuel slick around southeast of Flight 804’s last known position.

On 26 May, satellite detection of signals from the plane’s emergency locator transmitter helped reduce the primary wreckage search radius to . This signal is distinct from ultrasonic pulses emitted by an underwater locator beacon (ULB) attached to flight recorders. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed receiving this distress signal shortly after radar contact was lost. Previous claims of a distress signal occurring two hours post disappearance were refuted by EgyptAir.

In early June, ultrasonic signals from a ULB were picked up, defining a "priority search area" with a radius of .

The John Lethbridge, owned by Deep Ocean Search and equipped with remotely operated underwater vehicles capable of detecting signals up to , was contracted by Egyptian officials. It departed from the Irish Sea on 28 May and reached Alexandria on 9 June to embark Egyptian and French investigators before proceeding to the designated search zone by mid-June. On 15 June, Egyptian authorities announced that several main wreckage components had been located on the seabed. The vessel’s mission was extended until 18 July. After completing recovery operations, John Lethbridge returned to Alexandria on 16 July; recovered remains were handed over to Egypt’s Department of Forensic Medicine in Cairo for DNA testing and further examination.

Flight recorders

On 22 May, an Egyptian remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) managed by the Oil Ministry was deployed to assist in locating the lost aircraft. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi highlighted the ROV's operational capacity at depths reaching . Nevertheless, Egypt's lead investigator, Ayman al-Moqadem, reported that the ROV was unable to detect signals emitted from the flight recorders.

The French Navy’s D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet, equipped with sonar designed to identify underwater locator beacon (ULB) signals, arrived at the crash vicinity on 23 May. This vessel can launch an ROV capable of diving to and detecting ULB signals within a restricted depth range.

On 26 May, Egypt engaged specialized deep-sea search companies from Italy and France, including ALSEAMAR and Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, to recover the flight recorders. Following this, the French oceanographic research ship Laplace departed Corsica on 27 May, deploying three towed hydrophone arrays intended to locate ULB signals from nearly . By 1 June, Egyptian authorities announced that Laplace had detected ULB pings, establishing a "priority search area."

By 13 June, the survey vessel John Lethbridge was operating at the crash site. The ULBs activated on 19 May were estimated to remain functional for at least 30 days. On 16 June, Egyptian officials confirmed recovery of the damaged cockpit voice recorder (CVR) memory unit at a depth of , which was transported to Cairo for examination. The next day, fragments of the flight data recorder (FDR) were recovered; its memory unit was also retrieved but required significant restoration before data extraction.

On 19 June, Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee commenced electrical testing on the dried memory modules from both recorders with support from the Armed Forces. By 21 June, authorities disclosed that the memory chips had suffered damage. Initial attempts to extract data were unsuccessful, prompting a decision on 23 June to send the recorders to France's BEA for salt deposit removal prior to returning them to Egypt for further analysis.

On 27 June, BEA announced successful restoration of the FDR and its shipment back to Cairo for data evaluation by civil aviation authorities.

Early responses

In the initial phase following Flight 804's disappearance and crash, speculation linked the incident to terrorism and insurgent activities in the region. On 19 May, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry suggested an attack might have caused the crash. Two US officials believed a bomb was responsible based on some monitoring devices detecting an onboard explosion. However, other US agencies found no explosion evidence in satellite imagery, and certain intelligence personnel saw no indications of foul play.

Investigation

Greek military radar data showed Flight 804 deviated from its course upon entering Egyptian airspace, executing sharp turns before descending rapidly and disappearing from radar at approximately 10,000 feet. Initially denied by Egyptian officials, this information was later confirmed.

Additional reports included testimony from a merchant ship captain who claimed observing a "fire in the sky" south of Karpathos. France also conducted inquiries into potential security lapses at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Between 02:26 and 02:29 local time, seven ACARS messages indicated smoke detection in both the forward lavatory and avionics bay beneath the cockpit. These messages suggested faults within flight control systems. Experts interpreted this as possible evidence of either an onboard explosion or electrical fire. The aircraft’s smoke detectors were highly sensitive yet reliable.

At 02:36, two emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signals were received indicating activation in "test" mode—possibly triggered manually in the cockpit or by an electrical malfunction. This information aided investigators in pinpointing the probable crash location in the Mediterranean Sea.

Aviation specialists proposed that an electrical fire within the avionics compartment distracted crew members from issuing distress communications. Conflicting accounts emerged regarding pilot communication about smoke presence; Egyptian authorities refuted claims that emergency descent communications occurred.

Forensic analyses produced divergent opinions on whether an explosion happened onboard. Later reports suggested multiple emergency landing attempts before impact; however, EgyptAir’s chairman denied these assertions.

By late June, data retrieved from flight recorders confirmed smoke onboard consistent with ACARS alerts; wreckage analysis revealed evidence of intense heat combustion in the forward section. The cockpit voice recorder captured pilots’ efforts to extinguish a fire prior to crashing. Egyptian authorities urged restraint in media reporting of unverified information.

Investigators subsequently proposed a mid-air breakup caused by fire. French officials criticized delays in releasing conclusive investigation findings. In December 2016, Egyptian investigators reported explosive residues on victims; however, France’s BEA dismissed these claims after finding no residue or terrorist involvement.

French forensic teams identified traces of TNT on debris but cited limitations restricting comprehensive examinations. A French manslaughter inquiry commenced in June 2016.

In January 2017, French media speculated that overheating of a phone battery stored near the co-pilot might have sparked the cockpit fire.

By May 2017, French authorities confirmed absence of explosive traces on victims. In July 2018, France’s BEA concluded that a rapidly developing cockpit fire was likely responsible for the accident.

In April 2022, French investigators reported that a pilot’s cigarette ignited a fire fueled by oxygen leaking from an improperly configured mask; smoking was not prohibited at that time and was reportedly common among Egyptian pilots. Nevertheless, a BEA study found no definitive proof linking smoking habits to the accident sequence.

On 30 October 2024, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority released its final report attributing the crash to an explosion occurring in the galley behind the cockpit which triggered rapid fire spread and system failures worsened by oxygen flow. The BEA rejected this conclusion, attributing fire origin instead to an oxygen mask malfunction and emphasizing that explosive residue alone does not confirm an onboard blast.

French manslaughter inquiry

In June 2016, Paris prosecutors initiated a manslaughter probe after determining there was no indication of terrorism involvement.

A report published in April 2019 disclosed that the aircraft was not fit for flight; persistent faults remained unreported over several journeys, including electrical malfunctions that posed fire hazards. Instead of adhering to Airbus protocols, pilots incorrectly reset circuit breakers. EgyptAir overlooked warnings that had been active for weeks.

In October 2018, authorities executed a search warrant at the BEA's offices to retrieve data that had been withheld from investigators. Initial refusals were followed by claims that automatic backup systems preserved files that had been deleted.

Crews operating the flights prior to the accident reported no anomalies. EgyptAir's CEO, Ahmed Adel, dismissed the report as inaccurate.

Confidential files made public in December 2019 suggested that an oxygen leak might have triggered the fire; sounds recorded by the cockpit voice recorder were consistent with a high-pressure leak occurring just before the fire alert as passengers moved toward the rear of the aircraft.

Dramatization

This incident was depicted in episode 10 of season 23 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, under the title "Mystery Over the Mediterranean".

See also

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External links

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