Smoke Detection Alert in Egyptian Airplane Cabin Before Crash

CNN reported on Friday that flight data obtained from the Egyptian airplane indicates that smoke detection devices inside the cabin were activated moments before the crash. The Airbus A320 of EgyptAir, which was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew, fell over the Mediterranean Sea early Thursday. The Egyptian military has announced that it has found the remains of bodies and wreckage of the aircraft. According to CNN, this Airbus A320 has an Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) that regularly transmits reports to the operating airlines. Two American officials, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that they could not confirm CNN's report. However, they stated that the electronic system of the aircraft experienced a malfunction shortly before the crash. One of these officials mentioned that various reasons could be considered for this malfunction, possibly a mechanical failure, an accident, or even an explosion could have caused such a disruption. According to Reuters, an image of the data from the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System was published on the website 'A.V. Herald,' a specialized aviation site. According to the Associated Press, the information obtained indicates the presence of smoke in the toilet near the cockpit. This report adds that this data raises the possibility that a fire occurred on this aircraft before the crash. However, aviation experts state that only by examining the information in the black box of the aircraft can one comment on the cause of the Egyptian airplane's crash. On the other hand, the Egyptian military announced on Friday that it had found pieces of the wreckage of EgyptAir flight 804, the remains of passengers, and some of their belongings near the city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria is only about two hundred kilometers from Cairo, the final destination of this flight. This Egyptian airplane, with 55 passengers and 10 crew members, was traveling from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, which, according to reports, disappeared from air radar without sending an emergency message from the pilot and was later reported to have crashed in the Mediterranean Sea south of Greece. Previously, in October of last year, a Russian airplane crashed in the Sinai desert in Egypt after an explosion, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility. Egypt and France have been among the main targets of the Islamic State in recent months. However, it is still unclear whether the crash of the Egyptian airplane is related to this group or other terrorist groups or was due to technical issues. Nonetheless, relevant officials have not ruled out the possibility of terrorism being involved in the crash of the Egyptian airplane.