Russia’s privately owned Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed source in Cairo as saying the plane’s cockpit voice recorder had captured uncharacteristic sounds the moment before the flight disappeared.
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United States Intel Chief, James Clapper said on Monday that no evidence has surfaced to indicate what caused the deadly crash, terrorism can not be ruled out.
Conflicting theories behind a Russian plane crash in Egypt that killed 224 people continued to emerge today, as Russian authorities say they have entered the third part of the search, hoping to find clues to how the tragedy unfolded.
“The only possible explanation could be an external impact on the airplane”, Metrojet’s deputy director Alexander Smirnov told a news conference in Moscow. Rescue workers have found 12 large pieces of the plane at the crash site. Russia’s aviation authorities grounded Transaero flights recently over concerns that the airline could not maintain safety standards.
“The speculation that this plane was brought down by a missile is off the table”, the official said.
Egypt’s aviation ministry said Tuesday there was no proof the plane broke up while in midair and that no distress call was received from the pilot before the crash.
Based on reports from Egyptian security sources, technical problems experienced by the Airbus were the cause of the disaster that occurred shortly after take off from Sharm El-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg.
Flight Radar 24, a flight tracking service, said the plane was descending at 6,000 feet per minute when it went off radar.
Moscow immediately ruled an ISIL missile strike as a possibility and various military experts said that ISIL could not have the weaponry to shoot down an aircraft flying at 31,000 feet.
A plane carrying the remains of additional victims of the plane crash is expected in St. Petersburg.
The vague comment made translation hard, with a few interpreting that the executive said an “external influence” caused the crash.
Considering the fact that “the plane was in excellent condition …We rule out a technical fault and any mistake by the crew”, he said.
Kogalymavia’s Andrei Averyanov said the plane had been damaged in 2001, but had most recently been thoroughly checked for cracks in 2013.
Mahjoob, the airport official, said there was no evidence of a terrorist attack.
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The USA embassy inCairo instructed its staff Tuesday not to travel anywhere in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as a “precautionary measure”, pending the outcome of the investigation, the Associated Press reported from Egypt.
