Series of Real-time Reports Concerning the Crash of EgyptAir Flt. 990, off the Coast of Nantucket Island -- 31 Oct 99 to 27 Nov 99
Update - 21 March 2002
WASHINGTON: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday blamed the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 on the actions of its copilot. The NTSB report said the co-pilot cut power to the engines and sent the plane downward to the sea. The NTSB report did not offer any reason for the copilot's actions. There has been press speculation that he committed suicide. The NTSB said it had no evidence of any mechanical problems with the Boeing 767, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the Massachusetts island of Nantucket in October 1999. The airliner crash killed 217 people.
Update - 11 Aug 2000
06 Feb 2000 - From: http://www.emergency.com/ennday.htm
EGYPT/ENGLAND:
Pilot Says he Has Information on EgyptAir 990 Crash
London, England - The BBC said yesterday that an Egyptian pilot, who has applied for political asylum in the UK, says he has information about the October, 1999 crash of EgyptAir 990. The pilot, identified Hamdi Hanafi Taha, reportedly sought "entry into and asylum in the U.K." according to a spokesman from the British Home office.
EgyptAir officials, however, strongly denied that Taha has any knowledge of events surrounding the ill-fated plane that went down off the coast of New York, killing 217 people. A difference of opinion reportedly still continues between Egyptian and U.S. investigators in regard to the actual cause of the Flight 990 crash. No official findings of a joint Egyptian/American investigative task-force have yet been released...
27 Nov 99 - From: http://www.emergency.com/ennday.htm
CAIRO, EGYPT/WASHINGTON, DC: Egyptian theories that a bomb or missile may have brought down EgyptAir Flight 990 are apparently sharply at odds with U.S. analysis of the evidence and under-score how the probe seems destined to become bogged down in cultural and diplomatic sensitivities.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Saturday, November 20, 1999-Vol. 5 - 324
UNITED STATES
EgyptAir Investigators Now Say Sentence Wasn't Uttered
A U.S. government official now says that the suspicious words "I made my decision now" are not on the cockpit voice recorder of EgyptAir Flight 990 after all. On Wednesday, a federal law enforcement official said that just before the autopilot was turned off and the fatal dive began, the crew member in the co-pilot's seat was recorded as saying: "I made my decision now. I put my faith in God's hands."
On Friday, a government official said the first of those sentences -- the one about making a decision -- is not on the tape. It apparently arose from confusion among investigators. The official, speaking n condition of anonymity, could not say whether there was some other sentence or differing translation. Experts went over the tape this week and electronically enhanced it to prepare an exact transcript.
Despite this latest development, the head of the team investigating the 31 October crash said on Friday that officials still believe the crash "may have been deliberate." James Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said speculation about words captured on the cockpit voice recorder had caused unnecessary pain and "done a disservice to the longstanding friendship between the people of the United States of America and Egypt." Hall blamed "second-, third- and fourth-hand" speculation that in some instances has produced "headlines with information that is just flat wrong."
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Thursday, November 18, 1999-Vol. 5 - 322
UNITED STATES
Latest SitRep On EgyptAir Crash
It was being reported on Wednesday that a team of government safety experts, hired translators, and Egyptian, FBI and manufacturer representatives is trying to precisely transcribe EgyptAir 990's cock-pit voice recorder tape, and they expect to take at least five days. With no evidence of explosion or mechanical malfunction, investigators are focusing on the voice recorder tape.
As has been previously reported, on the tape, a relief co-pilot alone in the cockpit is heard to say "I made my decision now; I put my faith in God's hands" just before the Boeing 767 began its fatal plunge into the Atlantic off the Massachusetts coast. Moments after the dive began, the pilot returned to struggle futilely to pull out.
The NTSB's cockpit voice recorder group and translators were to begin work on Thursday on "a literal, factual transcript of all conversations and sounds." They will be assisted by representatives from Boeing Co., which built the plane, along with officials from engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Aviation Administration and Egypt. The group will work all weekend and hopes to complete the transcript next week.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Wednesday, November 17, 1999-Vol. 5 - 321
UNITED STATES
Delay In Handing EgyptAir Case To FBI
It was being reported on Wednesday that the U.S. government has delayed handing over the probe of EgyptAir Flight 990 crash to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was also being reported that a backup pilot was at the controls just before the jetliner began its fatal plunge. A source close to the investigation said Tuesday that it is too early to conclude whether the crew played any role in the 31 October crash that killed 217 people.
The new disclosure in the case has focused attention on the four-man crew, including Captain Gameel Batouty, a relief co-pilot nearing retirement after 35 years with the state-owned airline. Egyptian airline officials have tentatively identified the person in the co-pilot's seat as Batouty after listening to the cockpit voice recorder.
The 59-year-old Batouty was scheduled to take over much later in the New York-to-Cairo flight from co-pilot Adel Anwar. Another source close to the investigation said the tape showed Batouty came to the cockpit, "said he wanted to fly" and his request was accepted. The New York Times was reporting on Wednesday that Batouty was left alone in the cockpit, repeating an Arabic phrase that can mean "I entrust myself to God" at about the same time the jet's autopilot is turned off. The plane began a steep plunge from 33,000 feet just after that, regaining some altitude before dropping into the sea.
The Times reported that investigators suggested the pilot, Captain Ahmed Mahmoud el-Habashy, returned to the cockpit and struggled to regain control of the jet. According to the cockpit data recorder, the jet's two engines were effectively shut down during the dive. Sources also told the Times that the unusual split in the plane's elevators -- flaps on the tail that bend down or up to raise or lift the plane's nose -- may have been caused as one pilot tried to lift the plane out of a dive and another forced the controls down.
At a news conference on Tuesday in Washington, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James Hall said no sign of mechanical malfunction has been identified in the crash of the Boeing 767. But he stopped short of turning the case over to the FBI at Egypt's request to allow additional Egyptian experts more time to analyze the last recorded words of the pilots so they might contribute more understanding to what was said.
Although the phrase heard on the voice recorder has been characterized as "a prayer," that doesn't mean it was related to the cause of the disaster. Arabic speakers often make references to God in everyday statements. U.S. investigators are now studying the background of all crew members, including Batouty.
Batouty was described as being married for 27 years with five children. He joined EgyptAir in 1987 after training pilots at Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority and the air force. He had more than 5,000 flight hours in a Boeing 767 and was to have retired in March. His 10-year-old daughter, Aya, reportedly suffers from the immune disorder lupus erythematosis, and had been treated in the United States. Mohammed Batouty, the pilot's son, denied that the family had any financial problems. The Al-Ahram newspaper has reported that Batouty sent home money and a present for his daughter the day before the crash.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Tuesday, November 16, 1999-Vol. 5 - 320-09:00CST
UNITED STATES
EgyptAir Flight 990 Probe May Turn Into Criminal Investigation
It was being rumored on Monday that NTSB accident investigators are seriously considering surrendering the probe of the EgyptAir Flight 990 crash to the Federal Bureau of Investigation because of a comment made by a pilot before the final fateful moments that may have been a prayer. ABC News reported that during one portion of the tape the pilot left the cockpit and the co-pilot was overheard saying something of a religious nature in Arabic about going into death.
In the New York Times, a senior law enforcement official said Monday night he believed that the tape showed that after one of the two pilots left the cockpit, another crew member made the suspicious utterance, believed to have been a prayer. The autopilot was then disengaged and, seconds later, the aircraft went into a steep dive. The Times report said that the crew's conversations were in Arabic and even with the aid of additional interpreters brought in Monday, investigators did not fully understand what was being said on tape in the noisy cockpit.
According to CNN, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall discussed handing over investigative responsibility for the crash in a meeting on Monday with FBI Director Louis Freeh, turning the probe into a criminal investigation. The flight data recorder from the Boeing 767 established that less than an hour into the flight from New York, the plane's automatic pilot was turned off, and the engines were throttled back before being shut down during its subsequent steep dive. Aviation experts said the information so far was puzzling.
The decision to descend sharply and switch off the engines seemed quite deliberate, yet could not be easily explained by any particular scenario for mechanical difficulty. Experts said if the dive from 33,000 feet was to combat loss of cabin pressure, then the plane should have gone down to 10,000 feet rather than climbing again at 16,700.
One aviation expert said: "This one is a real baffler. It's not a mechanical cause to my mind. Somebody interfered with the crew or the crew engaged in actions to cause the plane to go down."
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Monday, November 15, 1999-Vol. 3 - 319
Voice Black-Box Review Only Adds to the Mystery of Egypt Air 990 Crash
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: A source close to the investigation said on Sunday that the cockpit voice recordings from EgyptAir Flight 990 show the pilot and co-pilot talking "like pals" before something goes wrong and both men desperately try to fix the problem. National Transportation Safety Board chairman James Hall said no conclusions could be drawn from the initial review of the tape. The recorder was found to be in good condition and it provided about 31 1/2 minutes of data. The New York-to-Cairo jetliner crashed on 31 October, killing all 217 people aboard. One ERRI analyst, who was previously heavily involved in the TWA800 crash inquiry, said this morning, "This entire case keeps getting 'curiouser' and 'curiouser'."
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Sunday, November 14, 1999-Vol. 3 - 318
NATIONAL
NEWPORT, RI: The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the U.S. Navy has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from EgyptAir Flight 990 from the midst of wreckage deep in the Atlantic. The recorder, recovered at 22:12EST Saturday, could tell investigators why the jet crashed into the Atlantic on 31 October. NTSB chairman James Hall said NTSB officials investigators will travel to Seattle this week to use a Boeing 767 flight simulator. NTSB investigator Greg Phillips said information from the flight data recorder would be entered into the simulator to study how the airplane would react. Examination of the voice recorder is commencing today in the Washington area.
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Saturday, November 13, 1999-Vol. 3 - 317
NEWPORT, RI: Federal authorities are releasing more details about the final moments of EgyptAir Flight 990, describing a steep, 40-second plunge that included a mysterious warning signal in the cockpit just before both engines shut down. John Nance, an aviation analyst and veteran airline captain said he found it "startling" that both engine start switches were changed from "run" to "cut-off" positions, as the NTSB reported. Nance said: "The only way that can happen is if a human hand -- a human being -- positions them there." Speculation among investigators is beginning to mount that the 990 crash was caused by "other than mechanical means."
ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Friday, November 12, 1999-Vol. 3 - 316
BOSTON, MA: The Boston Herald was reporting on Friday that federal criminal investigators are focusing on unusual preflight behavior by EgyptAir Flight 990's crew and actively pursuing leads that suggest the disaster in which 217 people died "was not an accident." Citing unnamed sources close to the investigation, the newspaper said information unearthed in the wake of the 31 October crash some 60 miles off the Massachusetts coast indicated that at least one flight crew member had reason to believe that "something was going to happen to the plane." Meanwhile the search for the valuable voice data recorder continues at sea.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Thursday, November 11, 1999Vol. 5 - 315
Update On FBI Probe Of EgyptAir 990 Flight 990 Crash
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that hundreds of special agents are continuing to gather evidence related to the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, working out of the spotlight in the event that the crash turns out to be the result of a criminal act. The FBI is closely monitoring the investigation being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating all possibilities, including mechanical failure, human error, terrorism and sabotage.
Lewis Schiliro, the FBI assistant director in New York who is leading the federal probe, said: "We are trying to determine if this plane was brought down by human intervention. That is what the American people expect of us."
In the Flight 990 investigation, FBI agents have looked into the backgrounds of passengers and crew members aboard the plane. Schiliro said that other agents have interviewed passengers on previous legs of the flight, as well as maintenance workers, fuelers, caterers, baggage handlers, security and anyone else who had access to the plane in the hours and days before the disaster.
The FBI said about 250 agents are investigating, including 150 agents in Newport, Rhode Island. So far, the FBI has conducted about 500 interviews. The FBI also has assigned agents to protect a potential trail of evidence, including body parts and clothing recovered from the ocean surface that were X-rayed for possible bomb fragments. Agents also have been examining intelligence reports, looking at court-ordered wiretaps of specialized terrorist groups to see if anything in the intercepts has gained relevance because of the crash.
Schiliro said that the EgyptAir criminal probe has produced intriguing possibilities but no smoking gun. He said: "So far we see nothing that jumps out at us. We have to deal in facts. We do not want to speculate."
ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Wednesday, November 10, 1999-Vol. 3 - 314
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: The badly dented flight data recorder pulled off the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean does contain information, heartening investigators who feared it might offer no clues to the destruction of EgyptAir Flight 990. The flight recorder -- one of two "black boxes" from the Boeing 767 -- arrived Tuesday at a National Transportation Safety Board laboratory in Washington. Technicians are saying that they do believe that the recorder will yield some useful data in regard to the possible cause of a crash of the the Cairo-bound jet on 31 October, killing all 217 people aboard. A search continues for the voice data recorder today...
ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Tuesday, November 9, 1999-Vol. 3 - 313
One "Black Box" Said to Be Recovered...
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: The U.S. Navy began round-the-clock efforts with deep-sea robots late Monday to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from EgyptAir Flight 990. U.S. Navy Admiral William Sutton said they would continue to work for as long as they could, now that they had launched a submersible robot. It was being reported on Tuesday morning that one of the plane's black boxes has been recovered.
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Monday, November 8, 1999-Vol. 3 - 312
NEWPORT, RI: The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Monday there was no indication last month's EgyptAir disaster was caused by a criminal act, but the bureau had not ruled out anything. FBI Director Louis Freeh said at a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand: "We are processing and working the case toward preserving all the evidence if in fact we were to receive information this was a criminal act. We have not received any such information. However, we cannot rule anything out until all the facts are obtained by the safety agency and we've all had a chance to review them."
ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Saturday, November 6, 1999-Vol. 3 - 310
"Deep Drone" Deployment Delayed At Least Another Day by 9-12' Seas
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: Investigators looking into the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 were encouraged by pinging sounds from the plane's "black boxes" that were so loud technicians aboard a ship tore off their earphones -- a sign they are near the crucial recorders. But the capture of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder had to wait at least another day as high seas forced Navy crews to delay lifting the boxes off the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean late Friday. A Navy spokesman said that operations have been delayed again on Saturday by 9-12 foot seas that prevent the launch of the "deep drone" underwater robot.
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Friday, November 5, 1999-Vol. 3 - 309
NATIONAL
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: Investigators are expecting to dodge foul weather long enough Friday to search for the "black boxes" from doomed EgyptAir Flight 990. The black boxes -- the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder -- are considered keys to figuring out why Flight 990 plummeted into to the ocean on Sunday, killing all 217 on board. Without them, the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating all possibilities, learning what it could from radar data and cargo manifests. NTSB Chairman James Hall said nothing hazardous was known to be in the cargo holds.
The U.S. Navy reported that the U.S.S. Grapple, a salvage ship with remote underwater capabilities, was able to put to sea overnight and try to take advantage of a break in bad weather to try to search for the flight data recorders that are so important to the investigation. Analysts said that the information on the data recorders may prove more significant than ever, following revelations yesterday concerning radar tracks of the doomed EgyptAir plane.
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Wednesday, November 3, 1999-Vol. 3 - 307
NATIONAL
WASHINGTON: Experts said on Tuesday, the fragmented aircraft parts and human remains being recovered suggest EgyptAir Flight 990 stayed relatively intact until it shattered on impact with the ocean surface. Investigators and aviation experts still don't know what happened to the plane. But the thought that an intact plane entered a sudden and fatal dive from a cruise altitude of 33,000 feet opened up broad avenues for speculation, including the possibility that something happened to the crew. With the ocean search for data recorders from the plane on hold early Wednesday due to bad weather, investigators also considered whether the same mechanism behind the 1991 crash of a Boeing 767 in Thailand contributed to Sunday's air disaster off the coast of Massachusetts. Heavy seas and fierce winds have delayed efforts to recover the cockpit voice and flight data recorders that could provide crucial clues as to what caused the plane to go down, killing all 217 people on board.
*****
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Wednesday, November 3, 1999-Vol. 5 - 307
NEWS IN BRIEF
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Sixteen members of a Newark-based emergency response team will be assisting with the investigation of the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. The New Jersey Star Ledger reports that the FBI in Newark has dispatched 16 agents from an elite unit. The team includes DNA experts, computer technicians, chemists and military explosive and hazardous waste experts. That unit took part in the investigations of the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Kenya and a 1994 Unabomber attack in North Caldwell.
From: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Tuesday, November 2, 1999-Vol. 5 - 306
UNITED STATES
FBI Stays On The EgyptAir Crash Case; Egypt Confirms Military Officers On Plane
Officials investigating the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 near Nantucket said there was no indication of a crime so far, but they refused to rule out the possibility that one may had taken place. The Federal Bureau of Investigation staying involved in the investigation to be sure evidence is handled properly in the event the crash is determined to be the result of terrorism. About 600 FBI agents are gathering as much information as they can about the passengers and the cargo on the flight. The FBI said on Monday that no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the downing of EgyptAir Flight 990.
In other news regarding the crash investigation, Egyptian authorities on Tuesday lifted a news blackout, permitting Egyptian media to confirm foreign reports that senior military officers were on board the EgyptAir flight that plunged into the Atlantic on Sunday, killing all 217 people on board.
The official al-Gomhuria newspaper said: "Egyptian sources said that a number of officers of different ranks and from various branches of the armed forces were among the victims of the plane that crashed off the U.S. eastern coast." It was the first time that local media had reported the military presence on the plane, after aviation and security sources told international news agencies on Monday that more than 30 officers -- several of them high-ranking -- were on the plane.
U.S. defense officials also confirmed the report, but said most of the group, in the United States for training, had not been senior-level officers. One Pentagon official said some of the Egyptians were army pilots who had been undergoing training in flying AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
One security source in Cairo said the group included four Air Force officers, two brigadiers- general, a colonel and a major. There were also at least two army majors-general, one brigadier, four colonels and two lieutenant-colonels.
*****
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Tuesday, November 2, 1999-Vol. 3 - 306
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: With hope for survivors lost and bad weather looming, U.S. Coast Guard searchers early on Tuesday focused on a 'ping signal' that could direct them to EgyptAir Flight 990's black box and a possible first clue into what caused the crash that killed 217 people. The plane was equipped with two so-called black boxes -- a flight-data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder -- that could provide essential information about whether mechanical failure, pilot error or sabotage sent the Cairo-bound passenger plane plunging into the Atlantic Ocean early Sunday at a rate of 23,200-feet per minute.
From: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Monday, November 1, 1999-Vol. 3 - 305
MASSACHUSETTS
Grim Search For Downed Airliner Continues
The U.S. Coast Guard was due at daybreak to restart its grim search for survivors in the choppy waters off Nantucket Island as hope dwindled of finding anyone alive from EgyptAir Flight 990. While that goes on, investigators have begun the formidable task of figuring out what caused the jetliner to plummet into the sea from 33,000 feet early Sunday. The descent took just two minutes.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other intelligence agencies are investigating the possibility of sabotage, but authorities said there has been no indication of foul play.
Search crews scouring 36 square miles of the Atlantic have recovered a lone body. Rescuers still hoped to find survivors in water that is just 58 degrees and 270 feet deep. A U.S. Navy salvage ship, the USS Grapple, and Navy divers were expected to arrive in the area by Monday night, with orders to take debris and remains to a Navy base in Rhode Island.
The Boeing 767 slammed into the ocean 33 minutes after leaving New York for Cairo. Searchers have recovered two of the jet's evacuation slides, clothing and passports, partially inflated life rafts, life jackets and seat cushions. None of the items had burn marks, which could have indicated a fire or explosion on board. And with no distress call from the pilots and a fall of nearly 300 feet per second, investigators had few clues.
The plane started its flight in Los Angeles and stopped at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. It took off again at 0119 EST and went down at 01:52 EST, some 60 miles south of Nantucket Island in water about 270 feet deep. The jet began its precipitous descent at 0150 EST while flying at 33,000 feet. The plane dropped about 14,000 feet over the next 36 seconds. The last radar signal was at 01:52 EST.
*****
Excerpted from: ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT-ERRI Risk Assessment Services-Monday, November 1, 1999-Vol. 5 - 305
UNITED STATES
FAA Had Issued Threat Advisory
It was being reported that the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert to airline and airport security personnel a month ago after agencies received an unconfirmed warning that a bomb would "soon be used" on a flight departing from Los Angeles or John F. Kennedy airport in New York. Officials said they had no reason to believe the disappearance of an EgyptAir flight on Sunday was caused by sabotage.
Many aviation warnings are investigated each month by federal agencies and the 24 September alert said: "At this time, FAA has no information to corroborate the statements in the letter and assess them as lacking credibility." A U.S. intelligence official said at midmorning Sunday that agencies were pursuing the possibility of sabotage, but, "There's nothing to immediately point toward that." Another official said there had been no recent threat that seemed relevant to the EgyptAir disappearance.
An FBI official said the person who made the claim cited in the FAA memo was in prison and that they had no information that the threat was related. The official also said that as of midday no groups had made any terrorist claims involving the crash. The official said law enforcement agencies are reviewing past intelligence information and phone traffic to see if there was a lead that was passed over before and might be relevant after the plane disappeared.
In a 24 September "information circular," the FAA reportedly said several U.S. agencies received a warning by letter in August "that a bomb or explosive device with 'spiral expansion' would soon be used on a flight departing from either Los Angeles airport or New York's JFK airport." The circular said the informant "identified himself as Luciano Porcari," and noted that "an individual with this same name hijacked an Iberian Boeing 727 during a flight from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on March 14, 1977," before being overpowered and arrested.
According to the FAA alert, the writer said "three of these devices were smuggled into the United States between 1992 and 1993, and that the devices cannot be detected on a metal detector because of the PVC (plastic) composition." The alert was in effect until 30 October.
An FAA spokeswoman said on Sunday: "The FAA often sends out information on threats to ensure that airlines can properly implement security measures. We do want to assure the public that the FAA works with law enforcement and intelligence agencies of the United States and other countries and we closely evaluate all threats and take appropriate security measures as warranted."
The FAA circular said a Luciano Porcari was sentenced to ten years in prison on 25 January 1979, but later escaped. In August 1981, he threatened to hijack another aircraft unless he was paid $250,000. He was subsequently arrested in Italy and sentenced to nine years in prison. The circular said he was released on 12 August 1982.
08:30CST - 31 Oct 99
Officials Refuse to Speculate About Cause of Plane Loss
New York City (EmergencyNet News) - Officials are refusing to speculate as to the cause of an apparent crash of EgyptAir Flt. 990 that disappeared of the coast of Nantucket Island early this morning. NYC Director of Emergency Management Jerome Hauer said "it is way too early to speculate" as to the cause of plane loss.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personnel are reporting that a "debris field" has been located about 60 miles South-Southeast of Nantucket Island. "The initial report was we had found seats, seat cushions, the flotation devices on the aircraft, life rafts and some other small parts that are not identifiable,'' according to Coast Guard Rear Admiral Richard M. Larrabee.
Latest reports are saying that a total of 214 souls were on-board the apparently downed aircraft. The nationalities of the passengers, believed to be on the aircraft, are so far identified as; 129 Americans, 62 Egyptians, 2 Sudanese, 3 Syrians and one Chilean. Fifteen crew members are also believed lost in the incident.
Emergencynet News is following events closely and will provide additional details as they become available...
06:30CST - 31 Oct 99
EgyptAir Plane Missing Out of J.F.K.Airport
By C. L. Staten
New York City (EmergencyNet News) - Early and preliminary information is coming in that the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for an airliner that reportedly disappeared off radar early Sunday morning off the coast of Massachusetts. So far officially unconfirmed reports suggest that an "oil-slick" has been sighted in the water off Nantucket.
The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the Egypt Air 767 about 01:19 am EST (07:15 GMT) about 50 miles south/southeast of the island of Nantucket. 197 souls are believed to be on-board. Egypt Air Flight 990 took off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport en route to Cairo, Egypt.
(c) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1999. All Rights Reserved. Redistribution without permission is prohibited by law.
The ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Security/ Terrorism/Intelligence/Military and National Security issues.
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