2016 EgyptAir Crash: Fire was Caused By Pilot's Cigarette, Finds Probe

Egyptian pilots smoked regularly during the flight which was allowed by the airline at the time, said the report.

The image is representational.

(Photo: PTI)

The 2016 crash of EgyptAir MS804 with 66 people on board was triggered by a fire in the cockpit which was caused by the pilot's cigarette, according to a 134-page report by French aviation experts.

As per the New York Post,

Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair had reportedly lighted a cigarette in the cockpit which, in turn, caused the oxygen to leak from an emergency mask to combust resulting in a highly volatile situation.

The report revealed that Egyptian pilots smoked regularly during the flight which was allowed by the airline at the time, according to The Independent.

EgyptAir MS804 flight was flying from Paris to Cairo and had crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on 19 May 2016.

The Background

The EgyptAir MS804 with 66 people on board had gone missing on 19 May 2016, whereafter the then French President Francois Hollande confirmed that the missing flight crashed.

There were numerous speculations and theories as to what went wrong, including that the plane had crashed into sea or that the crash was a terrorist attack. However, it was established that smoke was detected before the flight crashed.

The passenger belongings and debris of Flight MS804 were found later, 290 km north of the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt.

(With inputs from NDTV.)