Investigators Say Smoke Was Detected Moments Before EgyptAir Plane Disappeared From Radar

There’s been a lot of speculation over the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean on Thursday. Was it terrorism? A system malfunction?

We still don’t know for sure. But according to new reports, the jet sent out a series of warnings signaling smoke on board before it vanished from the radar.

Agency spokesman Sebastien Barthe told The Associated Press in Paris that the plane’s automatic detection system sent messages indicating smoke a few minutes before the plane disappeared from radar while flying over the east Mediterranean early Thursday morning.

 

The messages, he explained, “generally mean the start of a fire,” but he added: “We are drawing no conclusions from this. Everything else is pure conjecture.”

 

An aviation industry publication has earlier reported that sensors detected smoke in a lavatory, suggesting a fire onboard before the aircraft went down.

We still have more questions than answers. If there was a fire, was it due to an electrical problem on the plane or some sort of explosive device?

“The question now is whether the fire that caused the smoke was the result of an electrical fault – for example a short-circuit caused by damaged wiring – or whether some form of explosive or incendiary device was used,” aviation expert David Learmount wrote on his website.

Moreover, if a prominent terrorist organization was responsible for the attack, wouldn’t they take credit for it?

“That answer is unlikely to be forthcoming soon,” Learmount added.

Hopefully we’ll have more answers as the investigation continues.