'No malfunction' in Egyptair crash

The crash of an Egyptian airliner off Massachusetts last year was not caused by a malfunction, US investigators said yesterday. This indicates the National Transportation Safety Board still believes the Boeing 767 crashed, killing all 217 aboard, because the co-pilot put it into a steep dive, apparently to commit suicide. Egyptair officials dispute this, and the investigation has turned into a bitter row between Cairo and Washington.

The crash of an Egyptian airliner off Massachusetts last year was not caused by a malfunction, US investigators said yesterday. This indicates the National Transportation Safety Board still believes the Boeing 767 crashed, killing all 217 aboard, because the co-pilot put it into a steep dive, apparently to commit suicide. Egyptair officials dispute this, and the investigation has turned into a bitter row between Cairo and Washington.

There were "no unresolved safety issues", the NTSB said, which means they do not believe there was a malfunction. An Egyptian official said more work was needed, "particularly in assessing the design of the Boeing 767 elevator control system and gaining additional radar information".

The co-pilot, Gameel El-Batouty, had been investigated by security staff at a New York hotel for allegedly lewd acts, US newspapers reported yesterday.