The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), the official Russian aviation authority, said in a statement Monday that the crash of the Russian Metrojet aircraft in Egypt last year occurred due to an internal factor, according to the analysis and examination of the wreckage.
The IAC determined that the outer shell of the aircraft had undergone “high energy dynamic influence (from inside to outside)”, causing an unplanned drop in the cabin pressure due to “internal overpressure”. In course of these investigations, the point of the aircraft’s initial destruction in the air was localised.
With 224 passengers and crew members on board, the Russian airbus crashed on 31 October 2015 over Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh, due to a sharp drop in air pressure inside it, which resulted in cracking its airframe, according to the IAC’s statement.
The IAC added that the analysis concerning the crew members and aircraft operation was completed, in addition to the examination of the wreckage which included aircraft fragments and the avionic units.
“These mentioned results push for further analyses and some airframe fragments were selected for further examination,” the statement added.
An Egyptian investigation team conducted the examination with specialists from the IAC, France, Germany, Ireland, and the United States.
The IAC revelations revive suspicion of a terrorist attack. On the one hand, the so-called Islamic State posted photos of a handmade bomb, claiming responsibility for the attack by way of a bomb that was infiltrated to the aircraft.
On the other hand, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi used the words “downed the plane” while referring to the incident in a public speech, sparking alerts although investigations in Egypt had not been officially concluded.
In commemoration of the 224 victims, a ceremony was organised by Sharm El-Sheikh governorate at Salam square one year after the incident. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Civil Aviation Sherif Fathy and the Russian ambassador to Egypt.
