Flight Safety Information November 1, 2015 - No. 218 In This Issue Russian official: Jet broke apart 'in the air' Metrojet A321 - Preliminary Information Russian official: Jet broke apart 'in the air' A Russian airliner that crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard, broke apart in the air, a Russian aviation official said Sunday. Victor Sorochenko, executive director of Russia's Interstate Aviation Commission, told Russia's RT news that it remained too soon to determine what caused Saturday's crash of the Metrojet flight with 217 passengers and a crew of seven. "The destruction happened in the air and the fragments scattered over a large area," Sorochenko said. The plane's data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and analysis of the information could start Sunday, Hosssam Kamal, Egypt's minister of civil aviation, told the Egyptian official news agency. The plane was en route from Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt to St. Petersburg when it dropped off radar screens 23 minutes into the flight. The Russian Transport Minister has dismissed as unreliable a claim of responsibility from an Islamic State group, Interfax News reports. Egyptian security adviser Sayed Ghoniem agreed, telling Daily News Egypt ISIL militias in the Sinai don't have radar tracking technology and anti-aircraft missile capabilities required to take down a plane from 30,000 feet. An Egyptian aviation official says the pilot of the Airbus A321 had reported technical difficulties before losing contact with air traffic controllers. Ayman al-Muqadem, a member of the Aviation Incidents Committee, said the pilot had reported his intention to attempt to land at the nearest airport. The Vatican issued a statement Sunday saying Pope Francis was praying "for all who have died and for all who mourn their loss." British Prime Minister David Cameron called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express condolences on behalf of the British people. Putin has declared Sunday a day of mourning. Russia's air safety agency ordered MetroJet to suspend all flights until at least Monday, the Associated Press reported. AP added, however, that Metrojet said it will check its six remaining A321s one by one and continue operating them if they pass inspections. The German transportation ministry issued a "comprehensive warning" for airlines not to fly over parts of the Sinai Peninsula. Lufthansa, Emirates and Air France were among major airlines announcing they would stop flying over the Sinai until the cause of the crash was determined. EasyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were among airlines reportedly conducting business as usual and not commenting on flight paths. A team of Russian investigators was sent immediately to Egypt, according to Russia's Emergencies Ministry, the Russian state-run news agency RIA reports. Flight Radar 24, a flight tracking service, said the plane was descending at 6,000 feet per minute when it went off radar. The crash is believed to be the deadliest in the history of Russian aviation, surpassing a 1985 disaster in Uzbekistan in which 200 people died, the Russian-run news agency RIA says. Most of the crash victims were Russian tourists. Sharm El-Sheikh is a popular tourism destination, known for its beaches and scuba diving. The Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority said it had received 171 bodies as of Sunday, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/11/01/russia-plane-crash/74989966/ Back to Top Metrojet A321 - Preliminary Information Status: Preliminary Date: Saturday 31 October 2015 Time: ca 06:13 Type: Airbus A321-231 Operator: Metrojet Registration: EI-ETJ C/n / msn: 663 First flight: 1997-05-09 (18 years 6 months) Total airframe hrs: 56000 Cycles: 21000 Engines: 2 IAE V2533-A5 Crew: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 Passengers: Fatalities: 217 / Occupants: 217 Total: Fatalities: 224 / Occupants: 224 Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: ca 50 km SE of Hasna, North Sinai ( Egypt) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Int'l Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Sharm el Sheikh International Airport (SSH/HESH), Egypt Destination airport: Saint Petersburg-Pulkovo Airport (LED/ULLI), Russia Flightnumber: 7K9268 Narrative: An Airbus A321, operated by Metrojet, was destroyed in an accident central Sinai, Egypt. AP quoted Egyptian officials saying there were no survivors. Metrojet flight 9268 took off from Sharm el Sheikh at 05:49 hours local time (03:49 UTC). It followed airway R650 to the north along the shoreline of the Gulf of Aqaba. Overhead the Nuweibaa (NWB) NDB at FL210 the aircraft turned left, heading 340° to cross the Sinai Peninsula. Last contact with the flight was about 06:13 hours. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows the aircraft climbing to 30875 feet, after which it shows erratic altitudes and speed indications. Last altitude recorded was 27925 feet at a speed of 62 knots. http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151031-0 Curt Lewis