[Avionics Magazine 06-30-2016] The Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee released its latest update on the EgyptAir flight 804 Airbus A320 that disappeared from radar coverage on May 19. After decoding and validating more than 1,200 parameters of flight data from the recently recovered Flight Data Recorder (FDR), it appears that there was lavatory and avionics smoke on the aircraft before it crashed.
A track of the EgyptAir flight 804. Photo: Courtesy of FlightRadar24.
“Preliminary information shows that the entire flight is recorded on the FDR since its take off from Charles de Gaulle Airport until the recording had stopped at an altitude of [37,000] feet where the accident occurred. Recorded data is showing a consistency with ACARS messages of lavatory smoke and avionics smoke,” the committee said in its latest statement.
The committee also notes that some of the recovered wreckage of the frontal section of the aircraft showed signs of “high temperature damage and soot.”
The next steps for the committee are to begin reading and analyzing the data recovered from the FDR. Repairs on the CVR are still occurring with the French aircraft accident investigation bureau, the committee said.