Metrojet Flight 9268
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
 EI-ETJ, the aircraft involved, in its most recent livery. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 October 2015 |
| Summary | Crash with unknown cause[1] |
| Site | Sinai Peninsula, Egypt |
| Aircraft type | Airbus A321 |
| Operator | Kogalymavia Airlines |
| Registration | EI-ETJ |
| Flight origin | Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt |
| Destination | Pulkovo Airport, St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Passengers | 217[2] |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | Unknown |
| Injuries | Unknown |
Kogalymavia Flight 9268 operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia crashed in central Sinai following departure from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport on 31 October, 2015 at 4:12 Zulu time.[3] The aircraft, an Airbus A321, was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members.[4][2]
Aircraft
The Airbus A321 was owned and leased from AerCap and was 18 years old at the time of the incident. The aircraft was initally delivered to Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines on May 25, 1997. It was transferred to Kolavia in March 2012 and then to Metrojet in May 2012. The aircaft was powered by two IAE V2533 engines and configured to carry 220 passengers in an economy configuration.[5]
Incident details
Flight 9268 left Sharm El Sheik airport at 06:51 Gon for Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, Russia with 217 passengers, including 17 children,[6] and seven crew members on board. The aircraft failed to make contact with Cyprus Air Traffic Control 23 minutes later.[7] Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed the flight disappeared from radar. Initially, the head of Egypt's civil aviation accident body, Ayman al-Muqaddam, said: "The...Russian airline had told us that the Russian plane we lost contact with is safe and that it has contacted Turkish air traffic control and is passing through Turkish skies now." Flightradar24 also posted on Twitter: "It's NOT [sic] confirmed that this flight has crashed. It descended 5000 feet before Flightradar24 coverage was lost."[8] Unnamed Egyptian authorities indicated that the first parts of the wreckage had been located.[3]
The captain of the flight has reportedly told ATC that there was a technical fault and had requested a route change, although there was no indication whether a change had occurred. The Egyptian Civilian Aviation Ministry issued a statement that indicated the fight was at an altitude of 31,000 feet when it disappeared from radar screens after a reported "steep descent" up to 5,000 feet. It had disappeared in a mountainous area in central Sinai with poor weather conditions making it difficult for rescue crews to get to the scene. An unnamed security source said that the any survivors and the bodies of those who may have died would be flown to Cairo. Though the Sinai insurgency has been ongoing, there were no reports the plane had been shot down, according to Egyptian security sources.[6]
Eurocontrol's Air Flow Traffic Management (CFMU) issued a note to all operators along the route shortly after the aircraft's disappearance that due to technical problems all flights would be tactically re-routed, although the notice was redacted shortly thereafter.[3]
Reactions
Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail confirmed the aircraft has crashed[3] and cancelled his meetings upon hearing the news.[8]
References
- ^ "Wreckage of Russian passenger plane found in Sinai: Egypt govt". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ a b c "Russian passenger plane crashes in Egypt's Sinai, country's Prime Minister says". cnn. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d "The Aviation Herald". avherald.com.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick (31 October 2015). "Russian airliner crashes in Egypt's Sinai peninsula with 219 or 224 people on board". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/Airbus/A321/663/EI-ETJ-Kolavia
- ^ a b Jessica Best (31 October 2015). "Egypt plane crash: Live updates as Russian passenger jet carrying 224 people crashes in Central Sinai". Mirror.
- ^ "Russian airliner crashes in central Sinai - Egyptian PM". BBC News.
- ^ a b "Russian Airliner With 224 on Board Crashes in Egypt". Sputnik. 31 October 2015.
