, CAIRO, Egypt, May 19 – An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo disappeared from the radar, the airline said on its verified Twitter feed Thursday.
A tweet on the airline’s official account said flight MS804 left Paris at 23:09 pm local time (2109 GMT), “heading to Cairo (and) has disappeared from radar
More Details
On May 19, 2016, EgyptAir Flight MS804, an Airbus A320 en route from Paris to Cairo, tragically disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the loss of all 66 people on board. ​
Flight Details
- Aircraft: Airbus A320-232 (SU-GCC)
- Route: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Cairo International Airport
- Occupants: 56 passengers and 10 crew members
- Nationalities on board: Egyptian, French, British, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Saudi, Sudanese, Chadian, Algerian, Portuguese, and Canadian
- Last known contact: Approximately 10 minutes before disappearing from radar at 2:45 a.m. Cairo time
- Altitude at disappearance: 37,000 feet
- Weather conditions: Clear skies; no distress call was received
Investigation and Findings
The aircraft’s final moments were marked by a sudden left turn and a rapid descent from 37,000 feet to 10,000 feet before vanishing from radar. No distress signal was sent, and the absence of a mayday call was noted as unusual. ​
Subsequent investigations revealed that smoke had been detected in the aircraft’s lavatory and avionics bay shortly before the disappearance. Traces of explosives were found on some victims, suggesting the possibility of an intentional act.
In October 2024, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority concluded that the crash resulted from an explosion in the galley area behind the cockpit, leading to a rapid fire that caused multiple system failures. This theory was contested by French investigators, who proposed that the fire was likely caused by a fault in the oxygen mask system. ​
Ongoing Impact
The disappearance of EgyptAir Flight MS804 remains a somber chapter in aviation history. The incident prompted significant changes in aviation safety protocols and underscored the importance of thorough investigations to determine the causes of such tragedies.
