-Caveat Lector-
Airline disaster 'caused by
terrorism'
By Paul Marston and Toby Harnden in
Washington
AVIATION experts say sabotage is the
likeliest cause of the EgyptAir disaster off the
Atlantic coast of America, although
mechanical failure is not being ruled out.
The facts that the Boeing 767-300ER was
cruising at 33,000ft when the disaster
occurred, and that the flight crew could not
issue a distress call, persuaded most airline
engineers that some form of terrorist action
was to blame.
Cruising is regarded as the safest phase of
flight: stresses on the aircraft's frame and
mechanical equipment are lower than during
take-off or landing. If a massive technical
failure had occurred at such an altitude, the
pilots, unless incapacitated, would have had
time to alert air traffic control.
The airliner's rate of descent was so fast and
steep, 14,000ft in 36 seconds before
transponder signals were lost, that it lends
weight to the theory that the crew's loss of
control was total and immediate. A bomb in
the front of the forward hold, underneath the
flight deck, could have destroyed the main
electronics system.
An explosion which breached the pressurised
hull would also have had a catastrophic effect.
The aircraft would have begun to descend very
quickly and break up due to aerodynamic
factors. In this case, the loss of control
happened at 33,000ft and it began to break up
at 19,100ft, 36 seconds later.
A British Airways pilot said: "In view of the
very sudden nature of what happened, an
explosion of some sort, causing sudden loss of
control, must be the most likely cause." One
BA pilot said there had been repeated
instances of poor security at Kennedy airport,
New York, from which the aircraft took off 31
minutes before the crash.
In some cases, luggage had travelled on
different aircraft from the passengers who
owned it. He said: "Security at New York has
been something of a joke. A cardinal rule of
anti-terrorism is that passengers must travel
with their baggage."
The experience of Lockerbie and three
subsequent mid-air bombings suggests that
burn marks can be confined to the immediate
vicinity of the device, while the presence of
explosive residues in victims' bodies are likely
to be found only after lengthy tests.
The fact that no terrorist group had claimed
responsibility was not seen as undermining a
sabotage explanation. Prof Paul Wilkinson, of
the Centre for the Study of Terrorism at St
Andrews University, said the lack of credible
claims after major outrages was not
unusual.He said: "It's now quite common for
state-sponsored terrorists to try to disguise
their involvement. The point of their action is
not publicity, but revenge or damage to
confidence in the target country."
Prof Wilkinson also criticised the slowness
with which American airports and airlines had
implemented improvements in security since
the Pan Am bombing 11 years ago. He said:
"Given that the US and US passengers are the
number one target for international terrorist
activities, it is surprising and worrying that
there are quite serious loopholes in American
aviation security."
Chris Yates, editor of Jane's Airport Security
magazine, said a US government report last
year showed that new luggage-screening
equipment at high-risk airports, including Los
Angeles and Kennedy, was used for only a
tiny minority of bags. The EgyptAir flight took
on baggage at both airports.
But some aviation analysts said the disaster
might not have been caused by terrorism and
drew parallels with the crash of another
767-300ER eight years ago. The aircraft,
belonging to Lauda Air, crashed in Thailand
after an engine thrust-reverser suddenly
activated itself about 20 minutes after take-off.
All 223 people on board were killed.
Modifications were ordered after the accident.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 1999.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
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The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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