Russian plane crash investigators say Airbus broke up in mid-air over desert

Experts examine wreckage of flight that crashed in Sinai, Egypt, killing 224 people

The airline that crashed in Egypt’s Sinai desert killing all 224 people onboard broke up in mid-air at high-altitude, according to Russian officials prompting aviation experts to speculate that a sudden mechanical failure or a mid-air explosion could have been to blame.

As flags flew at half-mast on a national day of mourning in Russia, investigators rushed to the scene of the wreckage where 163 bodies had been recovered by yesterday afternoon. Some were found several miles away from the twisted and blackened remains of the Airbus A321.

Victor Sorochenko, the head of Russia’s interstate aviation committee, said it was too early to draw conclusions but it was clear the aircraft had broken up in flight on its way from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg.

That, according to experts, could indicate a bomb caused the disaster, although an explosive decompression from a technical failure is equally possible. The aircraft, built in 1997, suffered a tail strike in 2001 and underwent extensive repairs.

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‘Weakness or fatigue’

At least one major air disaster, a Japan Airlines crash, has been ascribed to weakness caused by similar repairs years earlier. Tony Cable, a former senior investigator at the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said “any weakness or fatigue would be bad news” in that part of the aircraft.

On Saturday, a militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt claimed responsibility for bringing down the Metrojet, or Kogalymavia, Airbus A321 "in response to Russian air strikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land" – a reference to the aerial bombing campaign recently begun by Vladimir Putin.

However, Egypt and Russia disputed the group’s claim, suggesting militants in northern Sinai, where Egypt has been fighting an Islamic insurgency, did not have the weaponry to hit a flight at 9,000 metres (31,000ft).

In a bid to help recover bodies and examine evidence from the disaster, Russia’s emergencies ministry sent more than 100 workers to the crash site in Egypt, which is spread over nearly six square miles.

They are being joined by staff from the French accident investigation agency, BEA, who will provide technical expertise as the aircraft was designed in France, as well as investigators from Germany, where the plane was manufactured, and Russia, where the Kogalymavia airline operates.

Repatriating remains

The dead, including 25 children, were all Russian apart from four Ukrainians and one person from Belarus. The recovered bodies have been taken to hospitals and morgues around Egypt, including Cairo. Russia said about 120 bodies were ready to be repatriated and the remains were expected to begin arriving in St Petersburg late yesterday.

Russian officials said the revelation that the aircraft broke up in mid-air did not necessarily mean a bomb had caused the tragedy. News agency Interfax reported that Russia’s transport safety watchdog, Rostransnadzor, had ordered Kogalymavia to ground its fleet of Airbus A321s until the cause of the disaster had been established. An official from Kogalymavia said it was discussing the timing of the safety checks and would take its Airbus A321 aircraft out of active use one by one without disrupting its flight schedule.

The aircraft was one of the oldest A321s in service, although its age is not seen as excessive. It was previously operated by Libyan firm Middle East Airlines, Turkey’s Onur Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Syrian firm Cham Wings Airlines. It had flown 56,000 hours in nearly 21,000 flights.

An Egyptian ground service official who examined the aircraft before takeoff told the Associated Press it appeared to be in good condition: “Everything checked out in 35 minutes.”

However, a Russian television channel said a pilot had expressed doubts about its condition. Natalya Trukhacheva, identified as the wife of co-pilot Sergei Trukhachev, was reported as saying he had complained before the flight “that the technical condition of the aircraft left much to be desired”.

Kogalymavia failed a safety inspection in 2014 but reportedly rectified the violations. – Guardian service