No Tech Faults B4 Taking Off MS804

CAIRO/PARIS, May 24 (Reuters) - The EgyptAir jet that disappeared last week did not show technical problems before taking off from Paris, sources within the Egyptian investigation committee said late on Tuesday. The sources said the plane did not make contact with Egyptian air traffic control, but Egyptian air traffic controllers were able to see it on radar on a border area between Egyptian and Greek airspace known as KUMBI, 260 nautical miles from Cairo. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the plane disappeared without swerving off radar screens after less than a minute of it entering Egyptian airspace. Air traffic controllers from Greece and Egypt have given differing accounts of the plane's final moments. Egypt's state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Tuesday that the plane had shown no technical problems before taking off, citing an Aircraft Technical Log signed by its pilot before takeoff.

EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo crashed

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo made two sharp turns before plunging into the Mediterranean Sea, Greece's defence minister says. Panos Kammenos said the Airbus A320 had "turned 90 degrees left and then a 360-degree turn to the right". It then dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before disappearing from radar, he added. Egypt's civil aviation minister has said the possibility of a terror attack is stronger than technical failure. Sixty-six people were on board Flight MS804, most of them from Egypt or France. A Briton was among the passengers. Greek aviation officials say air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal. They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond". Two minutes later it vanished from radar. Two floating objects have been spotted about 50 miles south-east of where the flight dropped off the radar early on Thursday morning. Egypt's aviation minister said the plane is "more likely" to have been brought down by a terror attack than a technical failure. Those concerned about relatives can call an EgyptAir hotline on 0800 7777 0000 from any landline in Egypt and +202 25989320 from outside Egypt.a>