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This story is developing by the hour. ISIS claims to have shot down the plane have been discounted but since then it has been confirmed that there was no SOS call so that whatever happened happened very quickly. In addition weather conditions were reported as benign.
Social media is now filling with talk that the plane was indeed shot down.
Naturally there will be more as more information comes to hand.
I do not have time to correct formatting problems, sorry.
Search & recovery operation underway in Egypt after Russian plane crashes killing all 224 on board
Social media is now filling with talk that the plane was indeed shot down.
Naturally there will be more as more information comes to hand.
I do not have time to correct formatting problems, sorry.
Search & recovery operation underway in Egypt after Russian plane crashes killing all 224 on board
RT,
31
October, 2015
Egyptian
and Russian search and rescue teams are continuing recovery
operations at the scene of a Russian passenger jet crash in the Sinai
peninsula. The Airbus A321 belonging to Russia’s Kolavia airline
went down en route to St. Petersburg leaving no survivors.
Kolavia
Flight 9268 from Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh to Russia’s Saint
Petersburg, had 224 passengers on board, the vast majority of whom
were Russian nationals. The plane vanished from radars at 4:14am GMT,
when the plane had been traveling at an altitude of 31,000 feet,
Egyptian authorities said
The
plane went down in a remote area of the Sinai peninsula, a region
where Egyptian forces have been conducting security operations
against an IS (Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) affiliate. Both
flight data recorders from the crashed plane have been found, Egypt’s
civil aviation minister said, and experts have started decoding the
data, according to Egypt’s prime minister. No official causes of
the crash have been declared yet.
RT
Search
and rescue teams have reportedly found bodies up to 5km (3.1 miles)
from the crash site. So far, 150 bodies have been pulled out of the
wreckage, with rescuers having described heartbreaking scenes, saying
many bodies were discovered still strapped to their chairs.
The
recovered bodies have been taken to the Egyptian capital of Cairo for
identification, while DNA samples are being collected from the
relatives of the deceased in St. Petersburg. Some of the victims’
bodies could reportedly be transported to Russia as early as Sunday.
Sources say that the aircraft took an almost vertical trajectory as it plummeted downwards. Large parts of the fuselage reportedly burnt up in the process. On the ground, the plane seems to have broken into two parts. The country’s security forces have said that the wreckage and the position of the bodies suggest that no mid-air explosion took place.
The
pilot of the crashed plane did not report any emergency to flight
operations officers at Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport before
the catastrophe, the Egyptian civil aviation minister Hossam Kamal
said.
“Communication
between flight operations officers and [the] Russian aircraft was
carried out in normal way up to the moment of the catastrophe,"
he said at a press-conference in Cairo, stressing that the pilot had
not asked for help and the plane “suddenly” disappeared.
There
is no point in hypothesizing about the cause of the plane crash until
there is reliable data on the circumstances, the Russian Air
Transport Agency said in a statement, adding that the plane was
cleared for flying and that no technical irregularities were spotted
prior to takeoff. The ministry also confirmed there were no specific
flight restrictions over the area.
The
Russian Investigative Committee said it was examining fuel samples
from the crashed plane's last refueling stop in the Russian city of
Samara. Two experts from French civil aviation safety investigations
authority BEA are expected to arrive in Egypt on Sunday, along with
six representatives of Airbus. Meanwhile, German carrier Lufthansa
and Air France-KLM have decided to avoid flying over the Sinai
peninsula while they wait for more clarity on what caused the Russian
airliner to crash in the area.
A
claim was spread online that Islamic State militants were behind the
passenger plane crash, but Egyptian officials have ruled out the
possibility of an attack on the airliner. According to Egypt’s
security forces, as cited by Reuters, a technical fault is likely to
blame for the crash.
LATEST: Egypt authorities deny version #7K9268 crash happend because of #ISIS diversion http://on.rt.com/6v35
“As
far as it’s known, Islamic State and its affiliate groups don’t
have the capability to bring down aircraft flying at the height that
this aircraft reportedly was, which is something around 10,000
meters,” security analyst and former UK counter-terrorism officer
Charles Shoebridge told RT. “That doesn't mean to say though that
at least theoretically they couldn't bring the plane down by other
means, for example by sabotage at the departing airport or a bomb on
board,” he added, but pointed out that “the mechanical failure of
some sort is the most likely cause, as with most air accidents.”
As
of why the terrorists would make such claims, Shoebridge said that it
“increases their propaganda, and it also can be seen as punishment
– as they would like to call it – for Russian involvement against
Islamic State in Syria, so therefore one can expect them to take
advantage of opportunity like this regardless whether they are
responsible or not.”
The
Saturday crash in the Egyptian skies became the deadliest in Russian
and Soviet aviation history, surpassing the 1985 disaster in
Uzbekistan which killed 200 people.
If you want all the material, including the video, you will need to go to the original Zero Hedge article
ISIS Releases Video Of Alleged Russian Airplane Mid-Air Exposion After It Claims Responsibility For Disaster
31
October, 2015
That
didn't take long: following the worst
Russian airplane disaster in history,
the question everyone was asking is who is responsible. Moments ago
we may have gotten the answer.
A
militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt claimed
responsibility for the downing of a Russian passenger plane that
crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Saturday, the group said in a
statement circulated by supporters on Twitter.
Below
is the full statement from a group alleging to speak on behalf of
Islamic State, posted on their affiliate site, translated by
the Guardian's
Jahd Khalil.
It offers no evidence that the group brought down the plane, apart
from their word.
Breaking: Downing of Russian airplane, killing of more than 220 Russian crusaders on board.
Soldiers of the Caliphate were able to bring down a Russian plane above Sinai Province with at least 220 Russian crusaders aboard.
They were all killed, praise be to God. O Russians, you and your allies take note that you are not safe in Muslims lands or their skies.
The killing of dozens daily in Syria with bombs from your planes will bring woe to you. Just as you are killing others, you too will be killed, God willing.
The
tweet in question
Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi
Many
expressed their initial skepticism that ISIS is the responsible
party:
Stratfor
UPDATE: Responding to IS claim, Russian Transport Ministry says it "can't be considered true;" plane at 31k feet, outside MANPAD range, @BBC
Charles Lister
3. ISIS [somehow] has advanced air defense missiles.
An
analyst with the Center for American Progress, Mokhtar Awad, told the
Guardian that the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility "is
quite vague.
“It doesn’t state how they were able to ‘down’ the plane allegedly. Even the most sophisticated of portable surface-to-air missiles cannot reach that high an altitude and are only a threat during periods of take-off or landing, but the plane had already climbed to its target altitude (from what we know thus far) when it began to likely experience technical failures.
The local affiliate, Wilayat Sinai, has been under some pressure over the past few months and may have jumped the gun on taking credit. Although there isn’t a precedent for such a spectacular lie about something they claim to have done, Islamic State itself has recently been embellishing more and more. For instance it claimed that the recent prison raid by Kurdish and US special forces were a total failure, when in fact video evidence surfaced showed them freeing the hostages. So this may be an instance of the rooster taking credit for the dawn.”
Of
course, it could simply have been a bomb planted on the plane and set
to explade after 20 minutes of flight time.
Another
theory that
has emerged is
that a prior structural shock (in 2001) led to a spontenous midair
disintegration:
What jumps out from this particular airplane’s record is an accident that it suffered on November 16, 2001 while landing at Cairo (while owned and operated by Middle East Airlines). As it touched down the nose was pointing at too high an angle and the tail hit the tarmac – heavily enough to cause substantial damage.
Tail strikes like this are not uncommon. The airplane was repaired and would have been rigorously inspected then and during subsequent maintenance checks. Nonetheless investigators who will soon have access to the Airbus’s flight data recorder will take a hard look at what is called the rear pressure bulkhead, a critical seal in the cabin’s pressurization system. Images from the wreckage in the Sinai show parts of the tail and rear fuselage near the site of this bulkhead lying clear of the rest of the debris, suggesting a possible break-up in flight.
In the event of a failure of this bulkhead, the airplane would have suffered a sudden and potentially explosive decompression; at its final recorded altitude of 31,000 feet the difference between the pressure inside the cabin and the air outside would have been at the point where such a catastrophic failure would be most likely to occur. The wreckage shows no signs of a fire or an engine-related explosion.
On
the other hand, this is like saying Lehman had an earnings miss in
1994 and filed bankruptcy 14 years later.
Even
Russia's transport minister Maksim Sokolov has said that the claim
Islamic State militants brought down the plane "can’t be
considered accurate".
Now in various media there is assorted information that the Russian [plane]... was supposedly shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, fired by terrorists. This information can’t be considered accurate.
However,
to corroborate their claim, ISIS has allegedly released this shocking
video showing
what appears to be a mid-air bomb explosion.
Although according to latest social media updates, even IS Sinai is stating that this video is fake.
As
a reminder, this is where the alleged explosion occurred:
Whether
or not the video is real or staged like many of ISIS' previous "made
in Hollywood" productions, is currently unknown.
Of
course, is the same ISIS which a recently
leaked CIA report revealed as
being created by the CIA as a "tool" to overthrow Syria's
Assad.
In
other words, a proxy organization of US "shadow government
destabilizing operations", trained in U.S. ally Turkey,
and openly funded by both U.S. allies Saudi
Arabia and Qatar,
just took down a Russian plane.
The
question now is did ISIS use a US-made surface-to-air missile to
start what may be a very unpleasant war.
Also,
does Russia get a carte blanche to begin attacks on ISIS in Egypt
now, the same Egypt which recently "purchased" the two
Mistral ships made by France, which were meant to be bought by Russia
in a deal that was scrapped in the last minute due to NATO
intervention?
One
thing is clear: if the Russian population had any qualms about
continuing the campaign in Syria, they were just eliminated in
perpetuity.
We
now await the Russian response, against both ISIS and its direct and
indirect sponsors.
Sinai plane crash: 'No SOS call' before disaster
BBC,
31
October, 2015
A
Russian aircraft did not lodge an SOS call before crashing in Sinai,
killing all 224 people on board, Egypt's civil aviation minister
says.
Initial
reports from Egypt said the pilot of the Kogalymavia airline had
asked to make an emergency landing.
But
minister Hossam Kamal said there had been no sign of any problems on
board the flight.
Lufthansa
and Air France-KLM said they would avoid the route while the cause of
the crash was investigated.
A
claim by a group allied to the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Sinai
that it brought down the plane has been dismissed by Russia and
Egypt.
The
Airbus A-321 came down early on Saturday, shortly after leaving Sharm
el-Sheikh for the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Russian
authorities say the plane was
carrying 217 passengers,
including 25 children. There were seven crew members on board.
Egyptian
officials had said 214 of the passengers were Russian and four
Ukrainian, but Russian officials said at least one of the victims was
from Belarus.
On
Saturday morning, Egyptian aviation official Ayman el-Mokadem, who
the country's media say is heading an investigation into the crash,
said flight KGL9268 had asked to land early because of a technical
failure.
But
Mr Kamal told a press conference this was not the case.
"Up
until the crash happened, we were never informed of any faults in the
plane, nor did we receive any SOS calls," he said.
All
contact with air traffic control had been normal, and pre-flight
checks showed no problems, he added.
Prime Minister Sharif Ismail (third from right) visited the site of the crash on Saturday afternoon
Egypt's civilian aviation ministry said the plane had been at an altitude of 9,450m (31,000ft) when it disappeared.
Security
experts say a plane flying at that altitude would be beyond the range
of a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile (Manpad), which Sinai
militants are known to possess.
Wreckage
was found in the Hasana area of Sinai and the plane's two black box
recorders were removed, Mr Kamal said. One of the instruments logs
cockpit recordings and the other registers flight data.
German
carrier Lufthansa said it would avoid flying over the Sinai peninsula
"as long as the cause for today's crash has not been clarified".
On Saturday evening, Air France-KLM said it was following suit.
British
Airways and easyJet said their routes were regularly reviewed, but
that they had no plans to alter their routes to and from Sharm
el-Sheikh.
Sinai
has an active
militant network,
and on Saturday afternoon, jihadis allied to IS made a claim on
social media that they brought down flight KGL9268.
Russian
Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told Interfax news agency that
"such reports cannot be considered true". No evidence had
been seen that indicated the plane was targeted, he said.
This
hotel near St Petersburg airport has become a gathering point for
relatives of those on flight 9268. There are medics here to help
them, and we saw an Orthodox priest. Some have been giving DNA
samples, to try to identify their loved ones.
In
the lobby, men from the investigative committee are huddled over
files and phones - beside cabinets full of souvenirs. For some
reason, riot police are patrolling the corridors too.
Occasionally,
someone emerges red-eyed from the room where officials are passing on
what information and answers they can to relatives. But it's still
impossible to say why this happened.
A
spokeswoman for the airline says the pilot was experienced, the
Airbus plane had been through all its safety checks. But there are a
lot of people here with urgent questions about why their friends and
relatives are not safely home tonight after a holiday in the Egyptian
sun.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin has declared Sunday a day of mourning.
He
has ordered an official investigation into the crash, and a
commission headed by Mr Sokolov left for Egypt on Saturday afternoon.
The
office of Egypt's prime minister said 129 bodies had so far been
recovered and were taken to Cairo.
One
un-named official described a "tragic scene" with bodies of
victims still strapped to seats.
The
plane appeared to have split in two, he told Reuters, with one part
burning up and the other crashing into a rock.
05:58 Egyptian
time (03:58
GMT): flight leaves Sharm el-Sheikh, the Egyptian cabinet says
in a statement
06:14
Egyptian time (04:14
GMT): plane fails to make scheduled contact with air traffic control
based in Larnaca, Cyprus, according to Sergei Izdolsky, an official
with Russia's air transport agency.
06:17
Egyptian time, approx (04:17
GMT): plane comes down over the Sinai peninsula, according
to Airbus
11:12
Egyptian time (09:12
GMT): flight had been due to land in St Petersburg's Pulkovo airport
A
criminal case had been opened against Kogalymavia for "violation
of rules of flight and preparation for them", Russia's Ria news
agency reported.
Oksana
Golovin, a spokeswoman for the airline, said the company did not see
any grounds to blame human error.
She
told a press conference that the pilot had 12,000 hours of flying
experience. Kogalymavia did not yet know what caused the crash, she
said, but the plane was "fully, 100% airworthy".
Police
have searched the company's offices.
Mikael
Robertsson, from the live flight tracking service Flight Radar 24,
told the BBC that the plane started to drop very quickly, losing
1,500 metres in one minute before coverage was lost.
Local
weather observations near the rescue scene suggest relatively benign
conditions.
Incident taken place at an altitude of 30,000ft.As per the reports accident happened because of a mechanical failure.But don't know the exact reason behind and Russian authorities are trying to figure out the reason.
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