Ten years later, reason why EgyptAir jet crashed unclear

Boston Herald ^ | October 31, 2009 | Laurel J. Sweet

[ConservativeStatement]

On Halloween 10 years ago today, EgyptAir Flight 990 nose-dived into the ocean off Nantucket from 33,000 feet, leaving the families of 217 children, grandparents and lovers forever haunted by the question: Why?

“You just wish you knew what the reason was. Some things break your heart so much,” said Bobbie Bergman of Colorado.

Bergman’s sister Paula Barnes, a one-time Marblehead resident, perished with their parents William and Tamsin Barnes and several family friends about 1:52 a.m. on Oct. 31, 1999, a half hour into what was to be a 10-hour passage from New York to Cairo.

[Cindy]

http://www.ntsb.gov/events/ea990/default.htm
http://www.ntsb.gov/events/ea990/docket/ecaa_report.pdf
http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/AAB0201.pdf

#

Snippet - Quote:

http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2002/aab0201.htm

Accident Number.:
DCA00MA006
Operator/Flight Number:
EgyptAir flight 990
Aircraft and Registration:
Boeing 767-366ER, SU-GAP
Location: 60 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts
Date:
October 31, 1999
Adopted On:
March 13, 2002

[HiTech RedNeck]

Sounds like the copilot went mad.

[missanne]

Just another terrorist wanting his 70 virgins (who said they would be female virgins anyway?) HOpe they have Viagra in Paradise!

[hatfieldmccoy]

So I’m thinkin some Vegas bookie is looking at the odds that it wasn’t some virgin harvesters looking to visit crippling misery on innocents in the name of Allah. 100 to 1......

[MindBender26]

It is far from unclear to any pilot. The crazy Islamic co-pilot flew it into the ocean.

[sheik yerbouty]

Toxic jihadosis..

[trumandogz]

Chilling for me as I was on Egypt Air 990 one week before this flight went down.

[BunnySlippers]

BUMP

[Bon mots]

Everyone knows exactly why this plane crashed. The presstitutes pretend not to know because the Egyptians refuse to admit that an Islamic pilot crashed the plane deliberately.

PC trumps truth yet again.

[Eroteme]

Everyone knows exactly why this plane crashed. The presstitutes pretend not to know because the Egyptians refuse to admit that an Islamic pilot crashed the plane deliberately.

Exactly. Even at the time, it was clear to rational people that this was deliberate. The only thing in question--and I'm being generous here--was motive. Giving any latitude for tying oneself in knots to call it the isolated act of a despondent individual expired on Sept. 11, 2001. Continuing the charade 10 years later is laughable.

[revtown]

It also probably created the idea.. If a crazy Muslim would crash a plane into an ocean, why not get some even more crazy Muslims to take over a a plane and crash the plane into a city / building.. TaDa 9/11 plot hatched.

[piasa]

OCTOBER 31, 1999 : (EGYPT AIR FLIGHT SENT PLUMMETING INTO THE OCEAN OFF US COAST BY SUICIDAL EGYPTIAN PILOT) A suspected suicidal Muslim pilot was believed to have purposely crashed an Egypt Air Flight into the sea shortly after takeoff from New York on October 31, 1999 killing all 217 on board - “A Short History of World War IIIA Lesson of the Future.,” by Sal Rosken, The Partial Observer , 2 March 2003

OCTOBER 31, 1999 : (ATLANTIC OCEAN OFF OF THE US EASTERN SEABOARD : CO-PILOT AL-BATOUTI SENDS EGYPT AIR FLT 990 INTO THE SEA - ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1998 IRAQ LIBERATION ACT BEING SIGNED INTO LAW) Egypt Air flight 990 mysteriously drops into the Atlantic Ocean 30 minutes after takeoff, killing 217. The 767’s cockpit voice recorder confirms the co-pilot, Gameel al-Batouti, has complete control when the plane begins to lose altitude. Examination of the flight data-recorder shows that Batouti cut the power and pushed the control yoke forward, sending the 727 into free fall. During the fall, the flight’s senior pilot, Captain Ahmad al-Habashi is heard re-entering the cockpit screaming “What’s happening? What’s happening?”. Al-Batouti calmly replies “Tawakkalt ala Allah” (”I rely on God”), and repeats the phrase as many as ten times as the plane crashes into the Atlantic.-— Source : 6 posted on 04/11/2004 2:15:28 AM PDT by WhistlingPastTheGraveyard

OCTOBER 1999 : (OFF NEW YORK : EGYPT AIR CRASHES, KILLING 217 PASSENGERS) 217 passengers killed on an EgyptAir flight near New York City. - Daniel Pipes

[piasa]

Interesting month:

OCTOBER 21, 1999 : (US PREPARED TO WORK WITH TALIBAN?) ".....The United States, which is seeking extradition of international terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden from Afghanistan, has said it is prepared to work with the Taliban militia to end terrorist networks in the war-torn country. Assistant secretary of state Karl F Inderfurth has said that Washington would be willing to make arrangements at the border to take charge of Osama Bin Laden to have him tried....." The Times of India, via News Plus 10/21/99 via ALAMO-GIRL'S DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON ; SECTION: BREACH OF TRUST; SUBSECTION: TERROR; Revised 1/8/01

OCTOBER 1999 : (US SUPPORTED THE TALIBAN?) "....Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., ripped into Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth at a House hearing on Wednesday, accusing the State Department of withholding key documents he said would show that the United States had supported the ruling Taliban militia in Afghanistan. Rohrabacher said Republicans had asked Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for Taliban-related documents from the State Department last year [1998], but only a few had been delivered. "The lack of courage and the incomprehensible policies of the Clinton administration (have) created a crisis in Central Asia where there was none," Rohrabacher said at a House International Relations Committee where Inderfurth testified on Wednesday.....Later in the hearing, Rohrabacher shouted at Inderfurth and accused him of using "weasel words" after Inderfurth denied having seen any documents that would indicate the Clinton administration had backed the Taliban, which controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan...." ---------- UPI 10/20/99 Joe Warminsky

[ml/nj]

I've always known what happened. There were a number of Chasidim (Black Hat Orthodox Jews) on the flight. Relief Pilot Batouti was obviously seated somewhere near enough to them that they disturbed him and his good Muslim instincts kicked in. He went up to the cockpit, pulled rank to become PIC, and launched his own little personal jihad. The infidels went to the bottom of the Atlantic and Batouti got his 72 virgins.

ML/NJ

[rdl6989]

Jihad perhaps?

[Ben Hecks]

The first news of the crash indicated that flight 990 stopped at Nellis AFB to board about 30 Egyptian army officers who had participated in a joint training exercise. This information was deleted from all subsequent reports. My theory is that jihadists took the aircraft down to send a message to the Egyptian government.

[Ben Hecks]

I found an account of the accident that mentions the 33 Egyptian army officers:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8722145249347971631#

[robertkj107]

Flight 990 was 100% proven to be an intentional act. Just because the Egypt govt. doesn’t accept the findings doesn’t make it any less so. The govt. of Egypt acted like a man convicted of murder who was dragged from the courtroom screaming “I’m innocent!”.

Not only did every piece of evidence(cockpit recordings, black box, etc) point to First Officer Gameel Al-Batouti crashing the plane intentionally, but there not a SINGLE piece of evidence that pointed towards ANY other possible cause. Not one.

Instead of doing the morally right thing and accepting the NTSB findings, the Egyptian govt simply said “no way!” and refused to accept this. They went into a state of chronic denial.

The US, in trying to be “PC” and keep some diplomacy, caved a bit and modified the findings wordings so as to leave a little wiggle room.

A very shameful thing.

To this day, it remains one of the worst mass murders in US history.

[Ben Hecks]

I think you’re absolutely right.

The fact that you found this thread on your first day at FR is amazing, however ; )