Russian Airline Sees External Impact as Cause of Egypt Crash

Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov inspects the crash site on Nov. 01, 2015.

Photographer: Mostafa El Shemy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Airline rules out pilot error, systems failure as cause
• Airline doesn't comment on possibility of terrorist attack

An external impact probably caused structural damage leading to the crash of an Airbus A321 in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killing all 224 on board, according to the Russian airline.
“It could have been anything,” Alexander Smirnov, deputy general director for Kogalymavia, known by the Metrojet brand, told reporters at a briefing in Moscow Monday, declining to comment on a possible terrorist attack. “The only reasonable explanation may be a mechanical impact on the aircraft.”

The plane probably broke up in midair after reaching a cruising altitude of 31,000 feet, strewing debris over a wide area. Before falling, it slowed abruptly and the crew didn’t make any attempts at emergency radio contact, Smirnov said. The crash occurred 23 minutes after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, a popular Red Sea resort, bound for St. Petersburg.
“The plane was out of control,” Smirnov said.
Pilot error or a systems failure couldn’t have caused crash, Smirnov said. The A321 had been properly serviced and was in good technical condition, said Andrey Averyanov, the airline’s deputy general director for engineering. A tail strike in 2001 had been fully repaired, he said.