Accident at Sharm-El-Sheik on 3 January 2004

The Egyptian Commission of Inquiry, in association with the French and American investigators present in Cairo, has begun the readout of the recorders recovered from the wreckage of the Flash Airlines Boeing 737.

The data relating to the accident flight has been read out successfully. The parameters are currently being validated and investigators are listening to the CVR recording. This work entails the investigators identifying, confirming and timing the exact sequence of events recorded. The precise interpretation of these elements will be carried out in the second phase. The President of the Commission of Inquiry has already stated, based on the initial information gathered, that the possibility of terrorist acts has definitely been eliminated.

Simultaneously, work is proceeding in Sharm-El-Sheik in order to locate and recover significant parts of the airplane. This work will take several days, in parallel with the work carried out on the recorders. Administratively, the BEA has taken over from the French Navy, which will continue to offer its support and the advice of its divers. Service proposals from Alcatel Submarine Networks (Ile de Batz) and France Telecom Marine (SCORPIO ROV) have been accepted after a call for bids.

Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and French Law No. 99-243 of 29 March 1999 specify that the sole objective of the technical investigation is the prevention of future accidents or incidents. This activity is intended neither to apportion blame, nor to assess individual or collective responsibility.