Egypt Airliner CRASHED in Egypt

KINGTV News-Seattle | 1/2/2004 | ME

[Gorons]

Local news just flashed that an Egypt Airliner has crashed in Egypt...

Reporting majority of ~135 passengers are French tourists....

[Central Scrutiniser]

Actually charters are for tourists, especially out of a city like Sharm. Sharm al Shiek is a very nice place great resorts and beaches and scuba diving. I nearly went there when I was an airline employee, but the flights were full, so I went to the resort city on the other side of the red sea, Hurghada.

Lots of little tourist charter airlines in resort areas in Middle East, Egypt, Tunisia, Mallorca, Canary Islands, etc..

[AM2000]

Well, think about it. The 130+ people were alive before Saddam was captured. And today, post-capture, they are dead, leaving behind grieving mothers and fathers and perhaps spouses and children. How can you honestly say that Saddam's capture has made the world a safer place? Can you look the 4 year old son of one of the 130+ dead people in the eye and tell him that? I think not!

</sarcasm>

[WackyKat]

Yes but considering the timing, the location and that the passengers were European it deserves a suspicious look

Especially since the "powers-that-be" have strong motives to deny terrorism as the cause.

Remember they denied the killings at the El Al counter on the Fourth of July were terrorism, too.

[Gorons]

I don't think France would keep the fact it was terrorist related quiet, since it's Egypt's territory .. Thing is a quick google search on Egypt reveals the following bits of news ..

Egypt arrests five Russians, links to extremism
Deepika, India - Dec 31, 2003 - CAIRO, Dec 31 (Reuters) Egypt has detained five Russians studying at al-Azhar Islamic University in Cairo and linked the arrests to extremism, security sources ...

Egypt resumes efforts to forge Palestinian truce
Ha'aretz, Israel - Dec 31, 2003 - Osama el-Baz, top aide to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is due in the West Bank on Thursday for talks with Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat and ...

Egypt resumes Mideast referee role
Toronto Star, Canada - 12 hours ago - RAMALLAH, West Bank — Egypt will send its intelligence chief to the Palestinian
areas next week in a renewed effort to halt attacks on Israel, Palestinian ...

[ChinaThreat]

Seven mile out puts this aircract at a very dangerous altitude. 3000 to 7000 feet is optimal for shoulder fired SAMs. Especially a large aircraft. I tend to agree with the other poster thought that the odds are this was an accident. We will probably never know.

[isom35]

"The Egyptian news agency Mena" see there's always a clinton connection or coincidence. in this case a news agency named after clinton's cocaine farm.

[Ethyl]

French on board!


Well, they have been cooperating with us lately, what do you expect? The creeps are pissed at them. We have to do them in, once and for all. For the fwench.

[MediaMole]

Flash Airlines home page...

Flash Airlines

[Mo1]

Well, some people on this forum seem think every airliner crash is caused either terrorism or it is shot down by the U.S. military

No .... but there have been a number of security concerns of planes over the past week ..

It may be just an accident .. but it also could be something more

Time will tell

[MediaMole]

Flash Airlines is an Egyptian Airline Company with the objective to satisfy fully the client needs. Safety and reliability are the motto of the company. Flash Airlines is a charter company licensed for non-scheduled commercial passenger flights on international and domestic routes with two Boeing 737-300. Flash Airlines serves mainly the tourism & travel industry performing charter flights covering inclusive tour packages and incentive trips.

Flash Airlines operates flights to all countries on short and medium haul destinations, having a base in Cairo and flying to all European cities with convenient schedules and prices. Flash Airlines modern fleet is based on 2 Boeing 737-300 manufactured in 1993, equipped with the lasted navigational instruments such as GPS. Flash Airlines has hired highly trained cabin crews, having a long experience and know-how in the airline industry. Each flight will be an enjoyable journey. Based on each market's specific needs for their program & packages, the clients/ operators will be offered a wide choice of flight timetable to fit at best their requested schedule.


Flash Airlines is a charter aviation company working under the Egyptian Laws.

Flash Airlines is operating with two Boeing 737-300, both aircrafts manufactured in 1993, bearing the Egyptian registration SU - ZCD / S / N 26286 delivered in February 2000 & SU - ZCF / S/N 26283 delivered in June 2001.

[stlnative]

Plane carrying 141 crashes into sea
From correspondents in Cairo
January 3, 2004

AN Egyptian charter plane with 135 passengers and six crew members on board crashed into the Red Sea today, shortly after take off from the coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Cairo airport officials said.

Most of the passengers were French tourists, they added.

The Egyptian official television said the plane was heading to France.

Pieces of wreckage from the plane, a Boeing 737 belonging to private Egyptian company Flash Air, were found in the sea about 15km south of Sharm el-Sheikh, the airport officials said.

The civil aviation authority said the plane disappeared from the radar screens of Cairo airport at 4.44am local time (1.44pm AEDT), minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

Agence France-Presse

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8314281%255E2,00.html

[Central Scrutiniser]

Well, the 737-300's that the airline I worked for had 123 in coach and 8 in first, so, it sounds like a full flight, most likely no FC, and about 148 or so seats packed in. Charters tend to have more seats than scheduled airliners. I don't think this is like the flight from Benin that was, I believe, seriously overgrossed with too many people. That plane had too many people, old crappy plane, and short runway and a hot day.

As for this flight, word is that it was foggy on takeoff, but I doubt it was overgrossed. Sharm has a long enough runway for 767, 747, A340 planes. Usually with crashes you find that there are several little factors that all add up to danger, remove one factor and there wouldn't be a crash.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Reporting majority of ~135 passengers are French tourists....

That rules out pasenger-thrwarted hijacking attempt.

Sounds like an accident (bad weather reported at the airport), but I wouldn't rule the Islamist in the boat with the S.A.M. scenario, either.

[sweetjane]

Unfortunately the French seem to think they are immune from terrorism.

They are not immune from terrorism. Their culture is likely as hated as ours.

[WackyKat]

Aviation officials in Cairo said the crash was probably an accident.

Which proves they're already lying since they can't possibly know that yet

Reminds me of the head of the NTSB who went on TV and said that the Flight 587 crash was not caused by terrorism even though NTSB investigators had not yet even reached the crash site

[Central Scrutiniser]

Sorry, but when I hear crash, charter, poor country, and fog, it is usually a normal crash. I spent lots of time at an airline and studied lots of crashes, it happens, all the time.