Black box of missing EgyptAir plane found, pulled out of sea, Egypt says

[Cigar]

Egypt's investigation committee says the cockpit voice recorder of the doomed EgyptAir plane has been found and pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea.

The committee says the so-called black box has been damaged but that the vessel searching for the wreckage has managed to safely pull the “memory unit which is the most important in the recorder.”

Thursday's announcement comes a day after the committee said that the vessel John Lethbridge, which was contracted by the government to join the search for the plane debris and flight recorders, has spotted and obtained images from the wreckage of the EgyptAir plane.



http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-egyptair-plane-voice-recorder-20160616-snap-story.html



I think they're going to deliver the Box directly to Donald Trump's place for a Big Congratulations Announcement

... Please Stand By :grin:

[Cigar]

Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump)

Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!
5:27 AM - 19 May 2016 (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/733242745385537536)


(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=733242745385537536)

13,14513,145 Retweets (https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=733242745385537536)

36,56936,569 likes (https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=733242745385537536)

[waltky]

Egyptair black boxes ‘‘extensively damaged’’ and will need repairs to be analyzed...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
EgyptAir black boxes badly damaged, likely to prolong probe
June 17, 2016 — The voice and data recorders from the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean nearly a month ago are ‘‘extensively damaged’’ and will need repairs before they can be analyzed, an Egyptian official said Friday, dampening hopes for quick answers as to what caused the disaster.


The official didn’t elaborate on how long the repairs would take but said if this cannot be done in Egypt, the so-called ‘‘black boxes’’ would be sent abroad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. With the wreckage of the Airbus A320 some 3,000 meters under water, the cockpit voice and flight data recorders are vital for piecing together the last moments of the flight, which plunged into the sea between the Greek island of Crete and the Egyptian port city of Alexandria on May 19, killing all 66 on board.

Earlier in the day, Egypt’s investigation commission said the flight data recorder had been pulled out of the sea, a day after the cockpit voice recorder was also recovered. Both were brought to Cairo for analysis. The memory units inside the recorders can provide key data, including the last conversations inside the cockpit, information about auto-pilot mode, or even smoke alarms. They might also give answers to why the pilot made no distress call before the crash.

Experts say the data, combined with previously obtained satellite and radar images, debris analysis, the plane history, and the pilots’ records, can shed light on the most possible scenarios. No militant group has claimed bringing down the aircraft. ‘‘We will be having a wealth of information that helps the investigators eliminate some possibilities while giving priority to others,’’ said Hani Galal, an Egyptian aviation expert. He is not involved in this crash investigation but has taken part in other similar probes. EgyptAir Flight 804, enroute to Cairo from Paris, disappeared May 19 from radar at about 2:45 a.m local time, just as it had entered Egyptian airspace. Radar data showed the aircraft had made violent moves after cruising normally in clear skies, plummeting from 38,000 feet to 15,000 feet. It disappeared when it was at an altitude of about 10,000 feet.

Leaked flight data indicated a sensor had detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane’s cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight. Egypt’s civil aviation minister, Sherif Fathi, has said that terrorism is a more probable cause than equipment failure or some other catastrophic event. Families of the victims are losing hope the remains of their loved ones can be recovered intact from the seabed so long after the crash, but knowing what had caused it could bring closure. ‘‘Finding answers to our many questions will give us some relief,’’ said Malek Zayada, speaking over the phone from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. His brother, Mohammed Saleh Zayada, was one of the passengers on the doomed flight.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2016/06/17/egyptair-black-boxes-badly-damaged-likely-prolong-probe/ip0fdHLoqvtbaWpx8BmvdJ/story.html

[Adelaide]

It seems ridiculous to still be relying on black boxes when technology has come so far.

[Peter1469]

That info should be uploaded to a server in flight.

[waltky]

Flight 804 black boxes too damaged to retrieve information on crash...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
US official: Investigators can't download EgyptAir recorders
Thursday, June 23, 2016 | WASHINGTON (AP) — Initial attempts to download information from the flight data and voice recorders of an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month have been unsuccessful, according to a U.S. official.


The recorders are being flown to the offices of the French aviation accident investigation bureau near Paris, which has better equipment for extracting the information than is available in Egypt, the official said. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss developments in the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The recorders, also known as black boxes, were extensively damaged when EgyptAir Flight 804 traveling from Paris to Cairo plunged into the sea on May 19, killing all 66 people on board. French and U.S. investigators have overseen the effort to extract information from the recorders. The recorders are made by Honeywell, a U.S. company. The plane, an Airbus A320, is made by an aircraft maker based in France.

The black box memory units typically provide investigators with critical data, including the pilots' conversations, details about how the plane's engines, navigation systems, and auto-pilot were working, and even information about smoke alarms. The pilots made no distress call before the crash, and no group has claimed to have brought down the aircraft.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/ap/investigators-unable-to-download-egyptair-recorders/article_16399701-c8c1-5488-b9d2-57846a782faa.html

[Cigar]

That info should be uploaded to a server in flight.

@Peter1469 (http://thepoliticalforums.com/member.php?u=10) Good idea ... GoGo is a client ... www.gogoair.com (http://www.gogoair.com)

[waltky]

Damaged Flight 804 black box memory chips flow to Paris for repair...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
Black box memory chips from crashed EgyptAir jet flown to France for repair
Tuesday 28th June, 2016: Damaged memory chips from the black boxes of crashed EgyptAir Flight MS804 were flown to France on Monday for repairs, a source on the investigation committee said on Monday.


The EgyptAir Airbus went down into the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 and all 66 people on board were killed. Egyptian investigators have been trying for days to repair the memory chips, which would allow them to begin transcribing and analysing the recordings and data in pursuit of insight into what caused the crash.

The investigation committee source said the memory chips were accompanied by investigators to France, where they will remove sea salt deposits from the chips at a lab belonging to France's BEA air accident investigation agency. The chips will be returned to Cairo for analysis once they are repaired.

Debris from the jet has been brought to Cairo airport where investigators will try to reassemble part of the plane's frame in search of additional clues that may help explain crash, the source added.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/black-box-memory-chips/2909270.html

[waltky]

EgyptAir Flight 804 data recorder successfully repaired...
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Crashed EgyptAir flight data recorder successfully repaired: investigation committee
Mon Jun 27, 2016 - Egypt investigators said on Monday that the flight data recorder of crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 had been successfully repaired, paving the way for investigators to analyze data that may explain why the jet plunged into the Mediterranean last month.


The investigators added in a statement that the doomed plane's cockpit voice recorder would begin to be worked on "within hours" also.


http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20160627&t=2&i=1143125384&w=644&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&sq=&r=LYNXNPEC5Q1SI
A flight recorder retrieved from the crashed EgyptAir flight MS804

The recorders arrived in Paris from Cairo on Monday to remove salt deposits. They will be sent back to a laboratory in Cairo to analyze the data once the repairs are completed, the statement added.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyptair-airplane-datarecorder-idUSKCN0ZD2WP

See also:

France launches manslaughter inquiry into EgyptAir MS804 crash
June 27, 2016 -- French prosecutors have launched a manslaughter investigation into the crash of an EgyptAir jet last month.


The cause of the crash into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19 remains unknown. Although terrorism has not been ruled out, the prosecutor's office said the inquiry was an accident investigation. It has opened the full investigation after a preliminary inquiry.

Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo crashed in the Mediterranean Sea between Crete and the northern coast of Egypt, killing all 66 people on board. Because 15 French citizens were onboard, France Info reported it was a conventional procedure to investigate.

The two black boxes of the Airbus A320 were found, French authorities said June 17, but investigators have been unable to download any material from the computer chips. They were to be sent to France for repairs, the investigators said.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/06/27/France-launches-manslaughter-inquiry-into-EgyptAir-MS804-crash/4161467045148/?spt=sec&or=tn

[waltky]

EgyptAir flight MS804 data files sent back to Egypt...
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Data files from crashed EgyptAir plane sent back to Egypt
Tue Jun 28, 2016 - Data files from crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 were sent to Egypt on Tuesday after one of the plane's black box flight recorders was repaired in France, bringing investigators closer to explaining the doomed jet's fate.


The Airbus A320 plunged into the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 and all 66 people on board were killed. The cause of the crash remains unknown. The plane's Flight Data Recorder was repaired in laboratories belonging to France's BEA aircraft accident investigation agency late on Monday and the data files transferred to Egypt on Tuesday, Egyptian investigators said. "The data file was transferred to Cairo today for decoding, validating and studying of data at the laboratories of the central department for aircraft accidents at the Ministry of Civil Aviation," Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation committee said in a statement.


http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20160628&t=2&i=1143243134&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=644&pl=429&sq=&r=LYNXNPEC5R12V
A flight recorder retrieved from the crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 is seen in this undated picture issued June 17, 2016

The process would take several days, the committee said, and repairs on the plane's second black box, the Cockpit Voice Recorder, started on Tuesday. Damaged memory chips from the black boxes were flown to France on Monday after Egyptian investigators had tried without success to repair them. The chips should allow investigators to begin transcribing and analyzing the recordings and data which may hold key insights into what caused the crash.

The plane is believed to have crashed in the deepest part of the Mediterranean and the black boxes, recovered last week, were badly damaged. Debris from the jet was brought to Cairo airport on Monday, where investigators will try to reassemble part of the aircraft's frame in search of additional clues. The Paris prosecutor's office opened a manslaughter investigation on Monday but said it was not looking into terrorism as a possible cause of the crash at this stage.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyptair-airplane-idUSKCN0ZE234

[waltky]

Wreckage shows smoke and heat damage...
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Investigators: EgyptAir wreckage shows heat damage, smoke
Jun 29,`16 -- Egyptian investigators said Wednesday that wreckage from the EgyptAir flight that crashed in May shows "signs of damage because of high temperature" and that a flight data recorder indicates there was smoke on board.


The flight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean on May 19 for reasons that remain unknown. The pilots made no distress call, and no militant group has claimed to have brought down the plane. The Egyptian investigating committee said in a statement that a recovered flight data recorder, one of the plane's black boxes, showed that there was smoke in the lavatory and onboard equipment.

The second black box, a cockpit recorder, was damaged in the crash and is being repaired in Paris. The wreckage was recovered from the Mediterranean Sea floor earlier this month. The bulk of the wreckage is believed to be at a depth of about 3,000 meters (9,800 feet).

The committee said deep ocean search teams are still working to find and recover human remains. French authorities opened a manslaughter inquiry on Monday, but said there is no evidence so far to link the crash to terrorism. EgyptAir Flight 804 disappeared from radar about 2:45 a.m. local time on May 19 between the Greek island of Crete and the Egyptian coast.

Radar data showed the aircraft had been cruising normally in clear skies before it turned 90 degrees left, then a full 360 degrees to the right as it plummeted from 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) to 15,000 feet (4,572 meters). It disappeared when it was at an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_PLANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-29-16-17-36

See also:

EgyptAir jet sent smoke-alarm warnings before crash
May 22, 2016 - The EgyptAir jet which crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday sent a series of warnings indicating that smoke had been detected on board, shortly before it disappeared off radar screens, French investigators said on Saturday.


A spokesman for France's BEA air accident investigation agency said the signals did not indicate what caused the smoke or fire on board the plane, which plunged into the sea with 66 people on board as it was heading from Paris to Cairo. But they offered the first clues as to what unfolded in the moments before the crash. One aviation source said that a fire on board would likely have generated multiple warning signals, while a sudden explosion may not have generated any - though officials stress that no scenario, including explosion, is being ruled out.

Egypt said its navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers floating in the Mediterranean about 290 km (180 miles) north of Alexandria. The army published pictures on Saturday on its official Facebook page of the recovered items, which included blue and white debris with EgyptAir markings, seat fabric with designs in the airline's colours, and a yellow lifejacket. Analysis of the debris and recovery of the plane's twin flight recorders are likely to be key to determining the cause of the crash - the third blow since October to Egypt's travel industry, still reeling from political unrest following the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

A suspected Islamic State bombing brought down a Russian airliner after it took off from Sharm el-Sheikh airport in late October, killing all 224 people on board, and an EgyptAir plane was hijacked in March by a man wearing a fake suicide belt. A message purporting to come from Islamic State urged attacks on the United States and Europe in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan beginning in early June. "Ramadan, the month of conquest. Get prepared...so that you make it a month of calamity on the non-believers anywhere," said the message posted on Twitter accounts that usually publish Islamic State statements. It made no claim of responsibility for the Egyptair crash.

The October crash devastated Egyptian tourism, a main source of foreign exchange for a country of 80 million people, and another similar incident would crush hopes of it recovering. Egypt's tourism revenue in the first three months of the year plunged by two thirds to $500 million from a year earlier.

HUNT FOR BLACK BOXES (https://www.yahoo.com/news/egyptair-jet-sent-smoke-alarm-warnings-crash-085314697--finance.html?ref=gs)

[waltky]

Sounds like either an electrical problem or arson in the bathroom...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
'Black box' suggests possible fire aboard EgyptAir Flight 804 in lavatory, avionics bay
June 29, 2016 -- One of the "black boxes" recovered from EgyptAir Flight 804 has confirmed the possibility of an on board fire in one of the jetliner's lavatories and avionics bay, Egyptian authorities said Wednesday.


The flight data recorder has been undergoing a thorough analysis in recent days to help investigators clue in on what doomed the Airbus A320 on May 19 during a flight from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 on board. The data recorder, one of two mandated pieces of equipment all commercial airliners must carry, was recovered by investigators earlier this month. The box, outfitted in an armored casing, had been damaged in the crash but technicians were able to salvage its information. Wednesday's news confirmed what investigators already suspected -- that smoke was detected on Flight 804. They first received an indication that was the case weeks ago after reviewing automated messages the plane had sent to EgyptAir's ACARS communications system while in flight.

Wreckage from the plane's front end also suggests fire damage, the Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee has said. A fire at 35,000 feet is one of the worst scenarios any flight crew can face. Data from the flight recorder indicates that fire may have broken out aboard Flight 804 while the jetliner was still at cruising altitude. Officials suspect this scenario because power to the box was abruptly cut while the plane was still at 37,000 feet. The data indicates smoke set off a detector in the plane's front lavatory, near the flight deck, and in the avionics compartment, beneath the cockpit. A fire so close to the pilots and their critical flight controls has the potential to bring a plane down quickly, officials said.

Investigators now hope to glean additional information from the other box, the cockpit voice recorder, which was also found damaged. It is not yet known whether that recording can be repaired. Officials hope what was said on the flight deck will help investigators piece together the sequence of events that led to the crash. The cause of the smoke is not yet known, but experts have speculated that one of the systems in the avionics bay may have malfunctioned, possibly triggering a total power failure aboard Flight 804.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/06/29/Black-box-suggests-possible-fire-aboard-EgyptAir-Flight-804-in-lavatory-avionics-bay/9291467244563/?spt=sec&or=tn

[waltky]

Memory chips intact...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
EgyptAir crash probe: Investigators gain access to cockpit voice recorder
Sunday 3rd July, 2016 - Egyptian investigators have managed to access the cockpit voice recorder of the EgyptAir flight that crashed in May after finding the memory chips are intact.


In a statement on Saturday, investigators said the "test results were satisfactory as it enabled the reading of the recorders of the CVR memory unit" in France, where the plane's black boxes are being examined.

The flight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the Mediterranean, killing all 66 people on board, for reasons that remain unknown. The pilots made no distress call and no militant group has claimed responsibility.

The plane's flight data recorder showed that there was smoke in the toilet and onboard equipment. Egyptian investigators plan to return to Cairo with the black boxes to continue analysing their contents.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/egyptair-crash-probe-investigators-gain-access-to-cockpit-voice-recorder-34851745.html

[waltky]

Flight MS804 human remains recovered from sea floor...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
EgyptAir Flight MS804 human remains recovered
July 4, 2016 -- A search vessel has recovered all the mapped human remains from EgyptAir plane that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea in May, investigators said Sunday.


The Mauritian-based search vessel John Lethbridge has recovered all the bodies it mapped on the sea floor, according to the Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee, and is now sailing to Alexandria, Egypt, investigators said. The exact number found is not known. It will return to the crash to look for more, unmapped remains.

EgyptAir Flight MS804 was on route from Paris to Cairo when it crashed in the Mediterranean Sea May 19, killing all 66 on board. The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

Experts are extracting any information they can from the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, or what is typically called the black boxes. Early analysis indicates there was some heat and smoke before the crash.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/07/04/EgyptAir-Flight-MS804-human-remains-recovered/6611467614133/?spt=sec&or=tn

[waltky]

Wonder if any passengers were carrying any lithium batteries in their baggage?...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
EgyptAir pilots tried to put out fire in doomed plane
Jul 5,`16 -- Pilots tried to extinguish a fire on board the EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in May, Egyptian investigators said Tuesday after analyzing a recovered cockpit voice recorder.


The recordings were consistent with data previously recovered from the plane's wreckage that showed heat, fire, and smoke around a bathroom and the avionics area, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because an official press statement has yet to be released. The crash of the flight from Paris to Cairo killed all 66 people on board. The pilots made no distress call, and no militant group has claimed to have brought the aircraft down, deepening the mystery surrounding its fate.

The Egyptian investigators say no theories - including terrorism - are being ruled out, especially since it is rare for such a catastrophic fire to break out so suddenly. EgyptAir Flight 804 disappeared from radar about 2:45 a.m. local time on May 19 between the Greek island of Crete and the Egyptian coast.

Radar data showed the aircraft had been cruising normally in clear skies before it turned 90 degrees left, then a full 360 degrees to the right as it plummeted from 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) to 15,000 feet (4,572 meters). It disappeared when it was at an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).

Deep ocean search teams have been recovering human remains and bringing them to Egypt's port city of Alexandria. French authorities opened a manslaughter inquiry late last month, but said there is no evidence so far to link the crash to terrorism.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_PLANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-05-13-44-57

[Peter1469]

Lithium batteries are only supposed to be in carry on bags.

[waltky]

EgyptAir flight 804 broke up in midair after fire...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
EgyptAir flight broke up in midair after fire: report
Sun, Jul 24, 2016 - An EgyptAir flight that crashed into the Mediterranean in May likely broke up in midair after a fire erupted in or near the cockpit, the New York Times reported on Friday.


However, it remains unclear whether the blaze was triggered by mechanical malfunction or a criminal act, Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Times. On Saturday last week, an Egyptian-led investigative committee reported that the word “fire” could be heard on EgyptAir flight 804’s cockpit voice recorder before it crashed.

However, the forensic and aviation officials in Cairo who spoke with the Times said that both the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, combined with the distribution and condition of recovered debris and human remains, had led them to their latest conclusion. EgyptAir flight 804 was carrying 40 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis, two Canadians and one passenger each from Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean. The crash followed the bombing of a Russian passenger plane over Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula in October last year, killing all 224 passengers and crew. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack, but there has been no such claim linked to the EgyptAir crash.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/07/24/2003651696

[waltky]

Cellphone blamed for EgyptAir MS804 crash...
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Investigators: EgyptAir fire, crash may have been caused by overheating cellphone
Jan. 13, 2017 -- French investigators examining what caused EgyptAir Flight MS804 to crash in the Mediterranean Sea have singled out the co-pilot's iPhone and iPad as potential sources of a fire that caused the plane to go down.


According to reports in the French press, investigators have isolated video of the co-pilot placing the devices, along with bottles of perfume he had purchased at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, above the dashboard on the glare shield prior to takeoff.

Egyptian authorities have said they believe terrorism caused the plane to crash, citing unconfirmed reports that some of the victims' bodies contained the residue of explosives. French authorities have disputed that allegation, citing data from the Airbus 320's data and voice recorders, which showed a disturbance on the right side of the cockpit, next to where the co-pilot was seated, followed by a smoke detector being activated in a bathroom behind the co-pilot's seat. There was also a verbal order from the pilot to the co-pilot to extinguish a fire prior to the plane dropping off radar.


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/upi/UPI-6871484325737/2017/1/181aafee3be8d7ea2087468c49c2fd0a/Investigators-EgyptAir-fire-crash-may-have-been-caused-by-overheating-cellphone.jpg

French authorities have not yet said for certain what they believe caused the plane to crash, killing all 66 people aboard. Like all mobile electronic devices, Apple products are powered by lithium ion batteries which can catch fire if they overheat. An Apple spokesman told the International Business Times the company was not aware of the potential break in the EgyptAir crash investigation, but that the company's products are manufactured to exceed all international aviation safety regulations.

Airlines have banned carrying a smartphone made by Apple's competitor Samsung, the Galaxy Note 7, after its lithium ion batteries were found to spontaneously explode or catch fire.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/13/Investigators-EgyptAir-fire-crash-may-have-been-caused-by-overheating-cellphone/6871484325737/?spt=sec&or=tn