EgyptAir Flight MS804 CDG-CAI disappears above the Mediterranean

[Boeing767copilot]

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/18/middl ... index.html

EgyptAir flight disappears from radar 01:43
(CNN)EgyptAir Flight 804 heading from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar with 69 people on board, the airline said.

The plane was flying at 37,000 feet when it disappeared shortly after entering Egyptian airspace, the airline tweeted. It said the Airbus A320 had 59 passengers and 10 crew members.
Conditions were clear and calm when the plane crossed over the Mediterranean, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy.

[quixoticguide]

The airline reported at 05:00L (03:00Z), that flight MS-804, estimated to land in Cairo at 03:10L (01:10Z), is missing and so far has not landed at any airport in reach of the aircraft. Egyptair subsequently tweeted that the aircraft was enroute at FL370 about to enter Egyptian Airspace when radar contact with the aircraft was lost at 02:45L (00:45Z). A search and rescue operation has been launched. The airline further corrected initial statement of 59 passengers to 56 passengers actually on board of the aircraft. The commander had accumulated 6,275 hours with 2,101 hours on type, the first officer has accumulated 2,675 hours. The aircraft had been manufactured in 2003. The airline has opened hotlines for relatives at +202 25989320 (outside Egypt) and 080077770000 (landline in Egypt).

At about 07:40L (05:40Z) Egyptair updated their statement saying, that the contact with the aircraft was lost 280km (151nm) from the Coast of Egypt at 02:30L (00:30Z). The crew comprised the captain, first officer, 5 cabin crew and 3 sky marshals. Amongst the passengers there were 30 Egyptians, 15 French, 2 Iraqis, 1 British, 1 Belgian, 1 Kuwaiti, 1 Saudi, 1 Sudanese, 1 Chadian, 1 Portugese, 1 Algerian and 1 Canadian.

Greece's Civil Aviation Authority reported radar contact with the aircraft was lost about 2 minutes after the aircraft was handed off from Greek to Egyptian Air Traffic Control. The crew did not report any problems up to hand off.

[quixoticguide]

SU-GCC is the reg.

[Passenger]

SU-GCC is the reg.

This aircraft was in Brussels on 14th May and 17th May 2016, both times for MS-725/MS-726 (CAI-BRU-CAI).

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/su-gcc

[Apuneger]

Airbus has released the following statement on its Facebook page:

Airbus regrets to confirm the loss of an Egyptair A320, flight ‪#‎MS804‬. Our concerns go to all those affected.

Statement #1:

Airbus regrets to confirm that an A320 operated by Egyptair was lost at around 02:30 am (Egypt local time) today over the Mediterranean sea. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight MS 804 from Paris, France to Cairo, Egypt.

The aircraft involved, registered under SU-GCC was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 2088 delivered to Egyptair from the production line in November 2003. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 48,000 flight hours. It was powered by IAE engines. At this time no further factual information is available.

In line with ICAO annex 13, Airbus stands-by ready to provide full technical assistance to French Investigation Agency - BEA - and to the Authorities in charge of the investigation.

The first A320 entered service in March 1988. At the end of April 2016 over6700 A320 Family aircraft were in operation worldwide. To date, the entire fleet has accumulated nearly 180 million flight hours in over 98 million flights.

Our concerns go to all those affected.

Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed and cleared by the authorities for release.

https://www.facebook.com/airbus/posts/1338064099543204

Ivan

[Apuneger]

Many photos have been made of this airframe during its 12.8 years of active service. Here's a photo I made at Brussels Airport in January 2004, when the aircraft was in service for just little more than two months.

My thoughts go out to the passengers and crew onboard this flight as well as their families, friends and relatives.

Ivan

[Airbus A330]

I met SU-GCC on Friday 31OCT14 in its current livery...




Really sad news!

(Post edited with the precious help of "Passenger" for the photo display.)

[quixoticguide]

2 pilots 5 cabin crew and 3 security agents is this standard on MS flights?

[sn26567]

No, usually only 4 cabin crew and security agents optional.

[Sabena320]

Security officers on board are quite standard at MS, at least on the BRU routes.

[Kris]

On Airliners.net I just read that they might have found 2 floating pieces of debris about 70 km from where they lost contact... For what its worth offcourse

"Now listening to French radio, Greeks have found 2 floating objects 70km SE of the last known position"

[quixoticguide]

Numerous reports of debris being found!
On top of the report by Reuters that two plastic objects had been found 50 miles (80km) south of where the plane disappeared, there are more reports coming in.

Greek state broadcaster ERT says two "orange-coloured objects" have been found, while an unnamed Greek military official told Associated Press that orange objects were spotted 230 miles (370 km) south-south-east of Crete, but still within the Egyptian air traffic control area.

"There have been finds south-east of Crete, inside the Cairo flight information area," Greek army general staff spokesman Vassilis Beletsiotis told Agence France-Presse.

[stratofreighter]

Pictures of the orange debris now at

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5791 ... ost9381252
as taken from
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5791 ... iro-5.html

Also see
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5791 ... iro-6.html
Maersk indeed...

[quixoticguide]

Sofia Express is leading #EgyptAir #MS804 sea search operations. New vessels have joined. http://bit.ly/1NzYe4N

[Passenger]

If it was a bomb, that bomb exploded very very late. They took off with a 35 minutes delay. If they would have left on time and if they would have taken off eastbound and not westbound, they would have been very very near CAI Airport, if not already just on the ground. If was a bomb with just a time mechanism off course.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... cc#9c0b766

The Metrojet A321 crashed 23 minutes after take off from Sharm el Sheikh. This one crashed 3 hours 10 minutes after take off.

I know : lots of "if". I just want to say that it's possible that it was a huge technical problem.

[sn26567]

EGYPTAIR to re-number MS803/804 to MS801/802, effective today (19MAY16)

Source: Airline Route

[sn26567]

And then, from Associated Press:

BREAKING: Senior Greek air safety official says debris found so far in Mediterranean does not belong to an aircraft.

Where is the truth?

[Passenger]

And then, from Associated Press:

BREAKING: Senior Greek air safety official says debris found so far in Mediterranean does not belong to an aircraft.

Where is the truth?

I believe that Greek air safety official. The Egyptian declaration doesn't convince me at all: a Minister of Foreign Affairs sending "an official letter" to his colleague of Civil Aviation??? You don't send letters when 66 people are missing. You phone them. And you give the relatives the original source.

[Flanker2]

With nothing found up to now, this is shaping up to become another MH370.

If the aircraft was in BRU just a few days ago, there is also a possibility that a bomb was installed in BRU and triggered later or set for a later explosion to keep people guessing.

[Yuqu12]

I heard somewhere that the plane went to technic the day before it went to Paris. It is perhaps more logic (IF it is a terror attack) that the bomb was installed there.