EgyptAir 990 Cockpit Voice Recorder Transcript

— -- EgyptAir strongly disputes the theory that copilot Gamil El Batouty may have deliberately plunged Flight 990 into the sea, which several U.S. investigators suspect may be the cause of the crash. Instead, EgyptAir asserts that there are problems with crucial components of the Boeing 767, and it has hired prominent U.S. aviation experts to argue that theory. Following is EgyptAir’s statement in response to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board’s release of its factual findings to date — findings which draw no conclusion, but which also find no evidence of mechanical failure.

“NTSB DOCKET INDICATES MECHANICAL FAILUREMAY HAVE CAUSED EGYPTAIR FLIGHT 990 ACCIDENT”

Facts Don’t Support So-Called “Deliberate Act,”Say Egyptian Investigators and U.S. Aviation Experts

The EgyptAir Flight 990 accident may havebeen caused by malfunctions of critical components of the aircraft’selevator control system, precipitating the plane’s crash into the AtlanticOcean off Nantucket on October 31, 1999, Egyptian investigators and U.S.aviation experts said today.

Although the NTSB investigation has not been completed, release of the NTSB“docket” today provided the public with the first official glimpse of“factual information.”

“There is nothing on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or the flight datarecorder (FDR) to indicate that Flight 990 was intentionally crashed intothe ocean,” said Captain Shaker Kelada, Vice President of Safety forEgyptAir, who headed the EgyptAir investigative team working side-by-sidewith the NTSB.

“In fact, the docket indicates that the aircraft recovered from a sharpdescent during the final moments of the flight, indicative of the crew’sattempt to save the aircraft,” said Carl Vogt, former chairman of the NTSBwho is assisting members of the investigative team.

Initial speculation for the cause of the crash was based on theerroneous translation of an Arabic phrase spoken by the relief first officerin the final seconds of the flight. In addition, detailed analysis of the flight data recorder andsubsequent Boeing 767 simulator tests failed to provide credible evidencesupporting the early suspicion that the so-called “split elevators” resultedfrom any fight in the cockpit for control of the aircraft.

Metallurgical analysis of the Flight 990 wreckage showed that the rivets ontwo of the three bell cranks in the right elevator were sheared in adirection that would force the elevator down. The rivets on the remainingbell crank on the right elevator were sheared in the opposite direction.“This pattern of sheared bell crank rivets is consistent with the possiblefailure or jam of two power control units that would cause the airplane topitch down,” added Kelada.

In addition, the potential for the unexplained shearing of the bell crankrivets was discovered earlier this year on an AeroMexico 767 while it was onthe tarmac. The accident investigation also has uncovered other instanceswhere elevator bell crank rivets on 767 aircraft have sheared. A powercontrol unit from the right elevator of Flight 990 showed several anomaliesand unexplained damage when it was examined.

The information on this issue prompted the Egyptian Civil AviationAuthority to send a letter to Jane Garvey, Administrator of the FederalAviation Administration (FAA), on June 4, 2000. The FAA has promised aresponse by late September. Boeing, manufacturer of the aircraft, alreadyhas asked all airlines that fly the 767 to check for any evidence of thisproblem. According to a Boeing report included in the docket, at least 11instances of sheared rivets have been uncovered as a result of the aircraftmanufacturer’s inquiry.

The elevators and rudder in the tail are critical to a plane’sairworthiness. Several years ago, a US Airways Boeing 737 experienced rudderfailure that caused the aircraft to go out of control and crash nearPittsburgh.

The cockpit voice recorder transcript released in the docketrevealed voices of other crew members, indicating the relief first officerwas not alone. The relief first officer was eating dinner when, accordingto Egyptian and U.S. aviation experts, a problem apparently presented itselfand he set his tray aside to handle it. With the plane still at 31,000feet, the captain and the relief first officer were working together to savethe aircraft, according to Egyptian and U.S. aviation experts.

The same transcript revealed that the first officer relinquished hisseat to the relief first officer. This occurred when the relief firstofficer indicated he could not sleep and, in fact, was going to have dinner.

NO MOTIVE FOR RELIEF FIRST OFFICER TO KILL HIMSELF OR OTHERS The relief first officer’s personal and professional life have beenintensely investigated and scrutinized. No motive has been identified forthe relief first officer to kill himself and 216 other passengers and crew.

“Careful examination of FBI interviews indicates the relief firstofficer’s behavior in a New York hotel is largely unsubstantiated,” saidKelada. “The reports do not establish any link between the purportedallegations and actions by the relief first officer. Attempts to focus onthis are a ‘smokescreen’-designed to divert attention from the fact there isno credible evidence anywhere to indicate he intentionally dove the aircraftinto the ocean.”

The relief first officer had no overriding personal, professional, medicalor financial problems. To the contrary, he and his family were respected inhis community. He was looking forward to his son’s upcoming wedding. Eventhough he had a daughter receiving treatment for Lupus, her situation wasimproving, and he was able to meet his financial obligations. In addition,throughout his career at EgyptAir, the relief first officer’s medical recordwas devoid of any health or psychological concerns.

ERRONEOUS TRANSLATION OF RELIEF FIRST OFFICER’S FINAL WORDS

Within two weeks of the accident, the flight data recorder and thecockpit voice recorder were retrieved from the ocean floor and initiallyanalyzed by the NTSB. The relief first officer’s repeated words weremisinterpreted to suggest a desperate act as he attempted to respond toevents. Egyptians-both Muslims and Christians-often use the invocation, “Irely on God,” throughout their day-to-day activities and particularly whenthey need or seek God’s support.

The cockpit voice recorder also reveals conversation between twopeople in the cockpit as the flight crew fought to save the aircraft. Atone juncture, the transcript revealed, the captain instructed that theengines be shut. The captain said, “Did you shut the engines? Shut theengines.” The response: “It’s shut.” Shutting off fuel to the engines isthe first step in any attempt to re-start them. “This confirms the flight data recorder information that the crew wasworking together to save the aircraft,” added Kelada. “The crew, apparentlyresponding to low oil pressure lights in the cockpit, may have believed theengines flamed out.”

SPLIT ELEVATORS DON’T SUPPORT A STRUGGLE IN THE COCKPIT The initial speculation that the relief first officer intentionally crashedthe plane also was based on the split of the elevators, which, according totheorists, indicated the captain’s attempt to wrest control of the airplane.Detailed analysis of the flight data recorder shows this conclusion was“seriously flawed,” according to aviation experts.

First, the flight data recorder does not record the position of theaircraft control column and, as a result, the FDR data alone cannotestablish whether the recorded position of the elevators was due to human,mechanical or aerodynamic forces.Second, the cockpit voice recorder does not reveal or indicate any evidenceof a verbal or physical disagreement between the captain and the relieffirst officer during the aircraft’s dive.Third, at the time of the elevator split, the aircraft was traveling wellbeyond .91 (point 91) mach, the highest speed for which Boeing hasperformance data. At high mach numbers, shock waves may form at severallocations, changing aircraft performance and affecting control surfacecapabilities. With a simultaneous unusual movement of the ailerons(additional control devices on the wings), it is probable, say Egyptian teaminvestigators and U.S. aviation experts, that the elevator split was aresult of the shock waves acting on the control surfaces, rather thanevidence of a human input.

Fourth, mechanical failure, as previously mentioned, also could havecaused the elevator split.

THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

EgyptAir has maintained from the outset that it was determined tofind the cause of the accident. EgyptAir owes it to the families of thosewho died on Flight 990, and the aviation community, similarly, has theobligation to the flying public and the future safety of air travelers tofind all the answers in this investigation.

A team of Egyptian experts has been working as accredited members of theNTSB investigation since shortly after the accident. Dispatched by theEgyptian Civil Aviation Authority and EgyptAir, they have been assisted by anumber of U.S. aviation and technical experts.EgyptAir, founded in 1932, is a founding member of the International CivilAviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Airline TransportAssociation (IATA). EgyptAir flies the latest generation of aircraft onroutes around the world.