EgyptAir Flight 990: Was It a Tragic Accident or a Deliberate Act?

On October 31, 1999, Egypt woke up to a shocking and tragic accident as EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in the death of all passengers. At first, it seemed like a normal plane accident, but theories and speculations emerged afterward, making the incident one of the most puzzling mysteries in the aviation world. So, what is the story behind it?

Overview of the EgyptAir Flight 990

A routine flight took place between the USA and Egypt. EgyptAir Flight 990 was traveling from New York to Cairo International Airport. On the night of October 31, 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767, was ready to take off. The plane had 217 people on board, two of whom were flight crew members. The first crew consisted of the active flight crew, and the second crew was on standby for relief.

On board the flight were Captain Ahmed Al-Habshi, 57, and First Officer Jameel Al-Batouti, 59. The second crew members were Captain Rauf Nour El Din, 52, and First Officer Adel Anwar. Due to the long duration of the flight, Egyptair flight 990 had to make a stop at John F. Kennedy Airport.

At 11:20, the aircraft arrived in New York and stayed until 12:45. The aircraft took off again, but it wouldn’t last 30 minutes before the accident occurred. The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, south of Nantucket Island, near the coast of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The accident resulted in the death of all 217 passengers.

One hour later, CNN announced that the American air traffic control tower lost connection with the Egyptian aircraft. After two hours, they officially announced the death of all passengers, and the rescue team rushed to assist.

EgyptAir Flight 990 Crash Circumstances

Coast Guard and rescue teams immediately began searching for the plane. Since the accident occurred in the U.S., the investigation into its cause was entrusted to the U.S.National Transportation Safety Board.

After hours of searching until sunset the next day, a U.S. Naval Academy ship found small remains of the plane in the middle of the ocean. They went to the scene, but surprisingly, they did not find any bodies or remains of the victims. They only found human tissue!

There were no other options except to find the black box. On November 24, after finding it, events took a different course!

Theories and Speculations

Several theories arose regarding the accident of Egyptair Flight 990:

Aircraft Technical Issue

After the accident, people suspected a technical malfunction. All fingers pointed to the Boeing company, but the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Coast Guard stated that it was a deliberate act of suicide!

Suicide Attempt

The cockpit voice recorder revealed that shortly after Captain El-Habashi left the cockpit to go to the bathroom, El-Batouti repeated the phrase “I put my trust in God” before the aircraft began to descend.

Although the audio recording is not conclusive evidence, investigators considered El-Batouti’s repetitive statement “I put my trust in God” as evidence of his suicidal intentions.

What made investigators believe in this theory was his ill daughter, who was suffering from a serious disease. They suspected that he did this because the insurance money on his life would go to his daughter. Thus, they can pay for the high cost of her treatment.

On the other hand, people who knew Jameel assured that his family was comfortable, religious, and that it was impossible for him to think of suicide for any reason. He had X-rays and tests for his daughter to show to doctors in America.

Before he took off, he called her to tell her that everything was fine. In addition, he called his family to meet him at the airport to assist him and his friend with the medicine he requested.

These actions did not align with those of someone planning to commit suicide. Later, statements from El-Batouti’s cousin made people believe it could have been an act of assassination!

Military Maneuver

When the plane took off from New York, everything appeared normal. At an altitude of 10km, there were no signs of any technical issues. Then, El-Batouti requested coffee and water from the flight attendant. This is further evidence that he was acting normally and had no intention of committing suicide.

It is clear that something else caused the problem. The cause could either be a technical error with the plane or another issue in the airspace. However, it is worth noting that Boeing aircraft, particularly the 767 model, had suffered from manufacturing defects during that time. These defects contributed to several accidents, such as those in 1983 and 1991.

The failure occurred in the tail section, and since Boeing had taken precautions to prevent tail lever failures in this version of the aircraft, the levers were equipped with three control operators. This design meant that if one lever broke, the second would take over, and if two failed, the third would continue functioning.

What remains unclear is what happened that caused the plane to lose the tail completely. After investigators reviewed the data recorded by U.S. radars, it turned out that a maneuver occurred in the air just before the plane crashed.

According to the radar data, the plane was on its normal flight path at an altitude of 10km. Suddenly, the plane began descending. For 40 seconds, the plane dropped from 10km to an altitude of 4km.

However, the pilots were able to regain control of the plane and return to a safe speed. The radar also showed the plane ascended to 7km, indicating that the tail was functioning properly. After that, they lost contact with the Egyptair flight 990, and it was concluded that the plane exploded in mid-air.

This suggests that either intense pressure inside the airplane caused the engines to fail and the plane to explode, or there was another cause.

What supports the Third Theory

The evidence supporting this theory suggests that the plane was deliberately hit by a missile from the US. The key points include the refusal to disclose the contents of the black box and radar data. In addition, the strong determination to blame Al-Batouti. Besides, the delay in announcing the incident for a full hour led people to believe that this was enough time to cover up the evidence.

If we exclude these possibilities, we cannot rule out what happened at JFK Airport. The air traffic controller requested a change in the plane’s route and frequency due to a supposed sound issue. Because of this delay, the new departure time for the plane could not be recorded in the flight schedules.

This meant that the air defense systems would have seen a flying object in an area where no flight was supposed to be. With no record of a plane passing through, they would have had the right to treat it as an enemy target. In such situations, the first step is for ground stations to communicate with the plane’s captain to confirm if it is a hostile target.

However, since the control tower had asked them to change the frequency, communication with the ground stations was cut off. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the plane was shot down with missiles.

In addition to the eyewitnesses who testified that they saw the plane explode in mid-air, some radar signals also indicated the presence of three luminous objects flying near the site of the plane’s explosion.

Final Thoughts

The tragic crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 remains one of the most puzzling incidents in the history of aviation. Theories ranging from technical malfunctions to possible military involvement and even suicide have only added to the mystery surrounding the event. While some believe the incident was a result of internal issues, others suggest external factors may have played a role.

Regardless of the truth, the unexplained circumstances will likely remain a subject of discussion for years to come.

What do you think happened to EgyptAir Flight 990? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Eman Abdallah

Eman Abdallah is a dedicated content writer with a strong passion for creating meaningful and impactful content. With a deep understanding of SEO principles, she specializes in writing articles that are both informative and optimized to rank well on search engines. Over the past year, Eman has honed her skills in creating content that captures readers’ attention. Her work reflects a balance of creativity and strategy, making her a reliable voice in the world of content writing.

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