As this story is rapidly changing hour by hour , we'd refer you to Julian Brays live updates on national and international radio and television channels simply google in" Julian Bray, aviation, "
Julian Bray writes: The mid air explosion theory is gaining momentum, and it all now depends on a fully professional independent examination of the two data recorders. I would earnestly hope that both Russia and Egypt would permit the black boxes to be independently examined, with Airbus technicians as observers, and endorse the sending of the unopened units to the BEA in Paris, France or to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch Laboratories at Farnborough in the UK.
All to be under international supervision. Only this way will involved parties be certain that world opinion is totally behind the process, which must be open, frank, highly robust and with nothing held back, or in any way distorted. Nothing less will do.
Julian Bray Aviation Operations and Security Expert writes: This is a round up of what is known so far at 16:00 GMT (12 Noon EST). It must however be stressed this is ALL SPECULATION.
This is a link to our earlier report: http://julianbrayrecessionbuster07944217476.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-russian-airbus-321-airliner-has.html
UPDATE:
Terror Monitor, an internet based terrorist monitoring organisation, claims to have an UNVERIFIED statement from Islamic State militants claiming responsibility.
The group, tweeted an image of the Arabic statement: "#IslamicState (#ISIS) terror group claims downing of Russian aircraft in #Sinai."
The unverified statement, written in Arabic, says the flight crash was NOT technical, as reported by security sources.
It goes on to claim that the attack was "in response to Russian airstrikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land".
This source remains to be verified. Treat with extreme caution but might explain reported unexplained fire in broken off tail section.
A Metrojet (formerly Kogalym Avia, Kolavia) Airbus A321-200, registration EI-ETJ (Pictured above) on flight KGL 9268 departing Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, to St. Petersburg, Russia, with 217 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing through flight level 30,700 out of Sharm el Sheikh over the Sinai Peninsula - Position N30.16 E34.17, 60nm south of Al-Arish - at 04:12 when the aircraft disappeared from radar.
Wreckage was subsequently located in mountainous terrain about 20nm south of Al-Arish, Sinai, Egypt also known as the Hassana region.
Egyptian sources were initially reporting the aircraft was believed crashed, a search for the aircraft in Sinai was actioned. Egypt's Prime Minister confirmed the aircraft has crashed.
Egyptian Authorities then reported first parts of the wreckage have been located. There is currently no anecdotal evidence of hostile/missile activity around the original flight path of the aircraft. 50 ambulances have been dispatched to the crash site, any survivors would be flown by helicopter to Cairo
So far ONE flight data recorder has been recovered. The second has still to be located.
Bodies still belted into their seats are reported by agencies to be scattered around the crash site, local reports suggest around 100 bodies have so far been recovered, the rest still inside the wreckage.
A convoy of ambulances said to be 50, have been dispatched to the crash site. Russias' Rosaviatsia (Civil Aviation Authority) reported the A321 of Kogalym Avia carried 217 passengers and 7 crew.
Sources in Sharm el Sheik earlier reported the captain of the flight reported technical problems and requested to return to Sharm el Sheikh, but later Egyptian sources suggest that no such SINGLE radio exchange ever took place. A team from Airbus in France are on their way to assist the investigation teams.
A ground observer reported a large number of helicopters are departing their Cairo airbase in the direction of Sinai. Egyptian media reports from several sources refer to an Egyptian government meeting that the crew reported engine trouble, subsequently lost control of the aircraft and communication ceased.
Airbus meanwhile have confirmed the loss of EI-ETJ, disappeared from radar while flying overhead Sinai, with 217 passengers and 7 crew. The aircraft, built in 1997 and powered by IAE V2533 engines, had accumulated approximately 55,772 flight hours in 21,175 flight cycles.
The airline reported the captain of the flight was experienced with more than 12,000 hours total and 3,800 hours on this particular aircraft type.
Egypt's Accident Investigation Commission opened an investigation. The chairman stated, 'that preliminary facts point towards a technical failure.' This does however seem to be highly premature as none of the technical recovery teams were on site at the time of his statement, and only one of the black box recorders has been recovered, it will take weeks to decode the data.
According to a flightplan the aircraft was tracking between waypoints TBA (Egypt: N29.362420 E34.475080) and PASOS (Cyprus FIR, N32.216667 E33.100000) when it disappeared.
Eurocontrol's Air Flow Traffic Management (CFMU) issued a note to all operators along the route TBA-PASOS and vice versa shortly after the aircraft disappeared, that due to technical problems all flights will be tactically rerouted via MELDO until further notice. The notice was then removed a couple of minutes later.
Sources: Multiples sources, agencies, flighttrackers and technical bulletins
JULIAN BRAY +44(0)1733 345581, Aviation Expert, Journalist, Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Airline Operations Expert, Travel / Maritime & Cruise Industry, NUJ, EQUITY, LIVE ISDN LINK, Broadcast ISDN COOBE ++44 (0)1733 345020 (ALL CODECS) e&oe Old faithful NOKIA: 07944 217476 iPhone 0743 530 3145 www.aviationcomment.com Contrib. Account #104764 53 FEED: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BraysDuckhouseBlog
Julian Bray writes: The mid air explosion theory is gaining momentum, and it all now depends on a fully professional independent examination of the two data recorders. I would earnestly hope that both Russia and Egypt would permit the black boxes to be independently examined, with Airbus technicians as observers, and endorse the sending of the unopened units to the BEA in Paris, France or to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch Laboratories at Farnborough in the UK.
All to be under international supervision. Only this way will involved parties be certain that world opinion is totally behind the process, which must be open, frank, highly robust and with nothing held back, or in any way distorted. Nothing less will do.
Julian Bray Aviation Operations and Security Expert writes: This is a round up of what is known so far at 16:00 GMT (12 Noon EST). It must however be stressed this is ALL SPECULATION.
This is a link to our earlier report: http://julianbrayrecessionbuster07944217476.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-russian-airbus-321-airliner-has.html
UPDATE:
Terror Monitor, an internet based terrorist monitoring organisation, claims to have an UNVERIFIED statement from Islamic State militants claiming responsibility.
The group, tweeted an image of the Arabic statement: "#IslamicState (#ISIS) terror group claims downing of Russian aircraft in #Sinai."
The unverified statement, written in Arabic, says the flight crash was NOT technical, as reported by security sources.
It goes on to claim that the attack was "in response to Russian airstrikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land".
This source remains to be verified. Treat with extreme caution but might explain reported unexplained fire in broken off tail section.
A Metrojet (formerly Kogalym Avia, Kolavia) Airbus A321-200, registration EI-ETJ (Pictured above) on flight KGL 9268 departing Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, to St. Petersburg, Russia, with 217 passengers and 7 crew, was climbing through flight level 30,700 out of Sharm el Sheikh over the Sinai Peninsula - Position N30.16 E34.17, 60nm south of Al-Arish - at 04:12 when the aircraft disappeared from radar.
Russia has declared Sunday a national day of mourning, President Putin has instructed his Prime Minister to immediately open an enquiry. Several aircraft with recovery teams are due to arrive in Egypt from Russia later today. Russian Police were reported to have raided the operational offices of the airline and removed documents and computers
Wreckage was subsequently located in mountainous terrain about 20nm south of Al-Arish, Sinai, Egypt also known as the Hassana region.
Egyptian sources were initially reporting the aircraft was believed crashed, a search for the aircraft in Sinai was actioned. Egypt's Prime Minister confirmed the aircraft has crashed.
Egyptian Authorities then reported first parts of the wreckage have been located. There is currently no anecdotal evidence of hostile/missile activity around the original flight path of the aircraft. 50 ambulances have been dispatched to the crash site, any survivors would be flown by helicopter to Cairo
So far ONE flight data recorder has been recovered. The second has still to be located.
Reuters quotes an Egyptian official involved in the ongoing rescue operation, initially claiming the aircraft has broken up in two major parts, the small part being the tail plane which caught fire, the other larger part impacted on rock.
Bodies still belted into their seats are reported by agencies to be scattered around the crash site, local reports suggest around 100 bodies have so far been recovered, the rest still inside the wreckage.
A convoy of ambulances said to be 50, have been dispatched to the crash site. Russias' Rosaviatsia (Civil Aviation Authority) reported the A321 of Kogalym Avia carried 217 passengers and 7 crew.
Sources in Sharm el Sheik earlier reported the captain of the flight reported technical problems and requested to return to Sharm el Sheikh, but later Egyptian sources suggest that no such SINGLE radio exchange ever took place. A team from Airbus in France are on their way to assist the investigation teams.
A ground observer reported a large number of helicopters are departing their Cairo airbase in the direction of Sinai. Egyptian media reports from several sources refer to an Egyptian government meeting that the crew reported engine trouble, subsequently lost control of the aircraft and communication ceased.
Airbus meanwhile have confirmed the loss of EI-ETJ, disappeared from radar while flying overhead Sinai, with 217 passengers and 7 crew. The aircraft, built in 1997 and powered by IAE V2533 engines, had accumulated approximately 55,772 flight hours in 21,175 flight cycles.
The airline reported the captain of the flight was experienced with more than 12,000 hours total and 3,800 hours on this particular aircraft type.
Egypt's Accident Investigation Commission opened an investigation. The chairman stated, 'that preliminary facts point towards a technical failure.' This does however seem to be highly premature as none of the technical recovery teams were on site at the time of his statement, and only one of the black box recorders has been recovered, it will take weeks to decode the data.
According to a flightplan the aircraft was tracking between waypoints TBA (Egypt: N29.362420 E34.475080) and PASOS (Cyprus FIR, N32.216667 E33.100000) when it disappeared.
Eurocontrol's Air Flow Traffic Management (CFMU) issued a note to all operators along the route TBA-PASOS and vice versa shortly after the aircraft disappeared, that due to technical problems all flights will be tactically rerouted via MELDO until further notice. The notice was then removed a couple of minutes later.
Sources: Multiples sources, agencies, flighttrackers and technical bulletins
JULIAN BRAY +44(0)1733 345581, Aviation Expert, Journalist, Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Airline Operations Expert, Travel / Maritime & Cruise Industry, NUJ, EQUITY, LIVE ISDN LINK, Broadcast ISDN COOBE ++44 (0)1733 345020 (ALL CODECS) e&oe Old faithful NOKIA: 07944 217476 iPhone 0743 530 3145 www.aviationcomment.com Contrib. Account #104764 53 FEED: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BraysDuckhouseBlog
