Investigators Think EgyptAir Crash May Have Been Caused by Pilot Charging iPad, iPhone in Cockpit

Investigators believe an EgyptAir plane which crashed a year ago killing all 66 people on board may have been caused by a pilot charging his iPad in the cockpit.

EgyptAir Flight MS804 was jetting between Paris and Cairo in May 2016 when it disappeared from radar over the Mediterranean on May 19, crashing into the water between Crete and the coast of northern Egypt.

Egyptian authorities initially suspected a bomb was placed on board at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Now French authorities are examining whether the plane in fact came down because of a fire caused by overheating mobile devices.

The inquiry will focus on whether an Apple iPhone 6S and an iPad Mini 4 known to have belonged to the plane’s first officer caught fire after being plugged into the wrong socket.

Reports say CCTV footage shows he had placed a tablet on an instrument panel close to where the fire is thought to have started.

The plane’s flight data recorder indicated smoke on board, and wreckage recovered from the jet’s front section showed signs of high temperature damage and soot.

A voice recorded also apparently picked up crew trying to put out a fire before the plane went down.

The crash killed 40 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, and one Briton. Seven crew members and three security staff also died.

A source close to the investigation said: ‘Cockpit plugs are not made for toasters or coffee pots. They’re for professional use. At this stage, the combustion or self-combustion of a tablet in the cockpit is the working hypothesis.’

In a statement Apple said there was no evidence to link its products to the disaster.
They said: ‘We haven’t been contacted by [Air Transport Gendarmerie] or any authority investigating this tragic event. We have not seen any report, but we understand there is no evidence to link this event to Apple products.

‘If investigators have questions for us, we would, of course, assist in any way we can.
‘We rigorously test our products to ensure they meet or exceed international safety standards.’

Last month relatives of the victims gathered in front of the embassy of Egypt in Paris campaigning for the truth to be disclosed.


https://heatst.com/world/investigato...charging-ipad/

Just a thought. We had a crew member on one of our planes that left is iPad charging cord unplugged and the charging wire (exposed power as the pins are external)made contact with the airframe. Sparks flew but no fire ensued. I hope some one reading this is involved in the investigation and could bring that to the investigators attention.

I remember getting some type of notice 3/4 years ago saying that cockpit electric plug are for vacuums and the like not for charging personal devices. Mentioned burning out your phone was possibility so i guess a fire is not out of the realm . FYI this was on 744.