1999 — Oct 31, Egypt Air 990 Crash, Mass Murder, off Nantucket Island, MA — 217
— 217 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). New York.
— 217 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Egypt Air Flight 990, 31 Oct 1999.
— 217 ECAA. Report of Investigation of Accident: EgyptAir Flight 990, October 31, 1999.
— 217 Langewiesche. “The Crash of EgyptAir 990.” The Atlantic, November 2001.
— 217 NTSB. AAB. EgyptAir Flight 990 Boeing…60 Miles South of Nantucket, MA 31Oct1999
— 217 NTSB. EgyptAir Flight 990 Boeing 767-366ER, SU-GAP. Adopted 3-13-2002.
— 217 Wikipedia. “EgyptAir Flight 990.”
Narrative Information
ASN: “On October 31, 1999, about 0152 eastern standard time (EST), EgyptAir flight 990, a Boeing 767-366ER (767), SU-GAP, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. EgyptAir flight 990 was being operated under the provisions of Egyptian Civil Aviation Regulations (ECAR) Part 121 and U.S. 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 129 as a scheduled, international flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York, to Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt. The flight departed JFK about 0120, with 4 flight crewmembers, 10 flight attendants, and 203 passengers on board. All 217 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed.”
“EgyptAir Flight 990 departed Los Angeles International Airport, destined for Cairo, with a scheduled intermediate stop at New York-JFK. The aircraft landed at JFK about 23:48 EDT and arrived at the gate about 00:10 EDT. Two designated flight crews (each crew consisting of a captain and first officer) boarded the aircraft at JFK. The aircraft taxied to runway 22R and was cleared for takeoff at 01:19…. At 01:35, New York ARTCC instructed EgyptAir flight 990 to climb to FL330 and proceed directly to DOVEY intersection.
”About 01:40 the relief first officer suggested that he relieve the command first officer at the controls. The command first officer agreed and left the flightdeck. The airplane leveled at FL 330 four minutes later. At 01:48, the command captain decided to go to the toilet and left the flightdeck. At 01:48:30, about 11 seconds after the captain left the cockpit, the CVR recorded an unintelligible comment. Ten seconds later, the relief first officer stated quietly, “I rely on God.” There were no sounds or events recorded by the flight recorders that would indicate that an airplane anomaly or other unusual circumstance preceded the relief first officer’s statement. At 01:49:18, the CVR recorded the sound of an electric seat motor and 27 seconds later the autopilot was disconnected. At 01:49:48, the relief first officer again stated quietly, “I rely on God.”
“At 01:49:53, the throttle levers were moved from their cruise power setting to idle, and, one second later, the FDR recorded an abrupt nose-down elevator movement and a very slight movement of the inboard ailerons. Subsequently, the airplane began to rapidly pitch nose down and descend. Between 0149:57 and 0150:05, the relief first officer quietly repeated, “I rely on God,” seven additional times. During this time, as a result of the nose-down elevator movement, the airplane’s load factor decreased from about 1 to about 0.2 G (almost weightlessness). Then the elevators started moving further in the nose-down direction. Immediately thereafter the captain entered the flightdeck and asked loudly, “What’s happening? What’s happening?”. As he airplane’s load factor reached negative G loads (about -0.2 G) the relief first officer stated for the tenth time, “I rely on God.” At 01:50:08, as the airplane exceeded its maximum operating airspeed (0.86 Mach), a master warning alarm began to sound and the relief first officer stated quietly for the eleventh and final time, “I rely on God,” and the captain repeated his question, “What’s happening?” At 0150:15, as the airplane was descending through about 27,300 feet the airplane’s rate of descent began to decrease. About 6 seconds later the left and right elevator surfaces began to move in opposite directions. The engine start lever switches for both engines then moved from the run to the cutoff position. At 01:50:24 the throttle levers started to move from their idle position to full throttle, and the speed-brake handle moved to its fully deployed position. The captain again asked “What is this? What is this? Did you shut the engine(s)?” At 01:50:26, the captain stated, “Get away in the engines … shut the engines”. The relief first officer replied “It’s shut”.
”Between 01:50:31 and 01:50:37, the captain repeatedly stated, “Pull with me.” However, the elevator surfaces remained in a split condition (with the left surface commanding nose up and the right surface commanding nose down) until the FDR and CVR stopped recording. at 0150:36.64 and 0150:38.47, respectively. The height estimates based on primary radar data from the joint use FAA/U.S. Air Force (USAF) radar sites indicated that the airplane’s descent stopped about 01:50:38 and that the airplane subsequently climbed to about 25,000 feet ms and changed heading from 80º to 140º before it started a second descent, which continued until the airplane impacted the ocean.
”PROBABLE CAUSE: “The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the EgyptAir flight 990 accident is the airplane’s departure from normal cruise flight and subsequent impact with the Atlantic Ocean as a result of the relief first officer’s flight control inputs. The reason for the relief first officer’s actions was not determined.” (ASN. Accident Description. Egypt Air Flight 990, 31 Oct 1999.)
Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority: “The Egyptian Delegation and the ECAA has had difficulty analyzing all of the issues of this accident because certain tests and information that would assist in analyzing this accident are not available, and the NTSB has refused to conduct any further investigation. In spite of this refusal, however, it is possible to arrive at certain conclusions:
- The Relief First Officer (RFO) did not deliberately dive the airplane into the ocean. Nowhere in the 1665 pages of the NTSB’s docket or in the 18 months of investigative effort is there any evidence to support the so-called “deliberate act theory.” In fact, the record contains specific
evidence refuting such a theory, including an expert evaluation by Dr. Adel Fouad, a highly experienced psychiatrist.
- There is evidence pointing to a mechanical defect in the elevator control system of the accident. The best evidence of this is the shearing of certain rivets in two of the right elevator bellcranks and the shearing of an internal pin in a power control actuator (PCA) that was attached to the right elevator. Although this evidence, combined with certain data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), points to a mechanical cause for the accident, reaching a definitive conclusion at this point is not possible because of the complexity of the elevator system, the lack of reliable data from Boeing, and the limitations of the simulation and ground tests conducted after the accident. Additional evidence of relevant Boeing 767 elevator malfunctions in incidents involving Aero Mexico (February 2000), Gulf Air and American Airlines (March, 2001). There were also two incidents on a United Airlines airplane in 1994 and 1996.
- Investigators cannot rule out the possibility that the RFO may have taken emergency action to avoid a collision with an unknown object. Although plausible, this theory cannot be tested because the United States has refused to release certain radar calibration and test data that are necessary to evaluate various unidentified radar returns in the vicinity of Flight 990.” (Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority. Report of Investigation of Accident: Egypt Air Flight 990, Oct 31, 1999.)
Langewiesche: “Two years afterward the U.S. and Egyptian governments are still quarreling over the cause—a clash that grows out of cultural division, not factual uncertainty. A look at the flight data from a pilot’s perspective, with the help of simulations of the accident, points to what the Egyptians must already know: the crash was caused not by any mechanical failure but by a pilot’s intentional act.” (Langewiesche. “The Crash of EgyptAir 990.” The Atlantic, November 2001.)
NTSB: “Executive Summary
“On October 31, 1999, about 0152 eastern standard time (EST), EgyptAir flight 990, a Boeing 767-366ER (767), SU-GAP, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. EgyptAir flight 990 was being operated under the provisions of Egyptian Civil Aviation Regulations (ECAR) Part 121 and U.S. 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 129 as a scheduled, international flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York, to Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt. The flight departed JFK about 0120, with 4 flight crewmembers, 10 flight attendants, and 203 passengers on board. All 217 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
“Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the EgyptAir flight 990 accident is the airplane’s departure from normal cruise flight and subsequent impact with the Atlantic Ocean as a result of the relief first officer’s flight control inputs. The reason for the relief first officer’s actions was not determined.” (NTSB. EgyptAir Flight 990 Boeing 767-366ER, SU-GAP (Accident Brief).)
Wikipedia: “Of the passengers, four were non-revenue EgyptAir crew members. Of the passengers, 32 boarded in Los Angeles, while the rest boarded in New York.[1] Many of the passengers consisted of elderly Americans who intended to visit Egypt as tourists.” (Wikipedia. “EgyptAir Flight 990.”)
Victims of the EgyptAir Crash Residing in the U.S.[2]
Arizona 6
David R. Ameeraly, 33, Scottsdale
Stella Maurine (Chadwick) Ross, 72, Scottsdale
George Small, 74, grave memorial in Tucson
Gerald L. Smith, 82, Surprise
Mrs. Betty Smith, Surprise
Mrs. Barbara Lee (Wright) Smith, 68, Surprise
California 32
Sami Abdurbu, West Los Angeles
Charles Balassi, 62, Vallejo
Ms. Novelle Balassi, 62, Vallejo
Ms. Paula S, Barnes, 38, Los Altos
Mrs. Judith Bowman, 57, Huntington Beach
Mrs. Judith A. Ebner, 59, Auburn
Robert Ernest Ebner, 66, Auburn
Dorothy Marie Jones Foth, 67, Dana Point
Ullrich Albert ‘Rich’ Foth, 69, Dana Point
Mrs. Barbara A. Freeman, 65, Alpine
Jarold Clarence Freeman, 68, Alpine
Mrs. Beverly Grant, 82, Santa Ana
Ms. Sheila Ruth Jaffee, 63, Huntington Beach
Ms. Imilda Christine Kolander, 66, San Ramon
Jacqueline Jean (Hansen) Kurasch, 72, Los Angeles
Effat Ahmed Mansour, 64, Irvine
Mrs. Virginia Mansour, 59, Irvine
Arthur Jay Peever, 66, Dana Point
Barbara M. Peever, 68, Dana Point
Mary E. (Keynard) Rice, 77, La Mesa
Robert Cyriax Rice, 85, La Mesa
Abdullah Saleh, West Los Angeles
Nasim Saleh, 4, West Lost Angeles
Kurt Schwenk, 39, Palo Alto (also noted as San Jose in Find A Grave)
Toby M. Seidman, 71, Irvine (also noted as San Luis Obispo in Find A Grave)
Arthur Lawrence Smith, 80, Coarsegold
Betty Luella Smith, 71, Coarsegold
Gavin R. Stearns, 40, Los Altos
Mrs. Betty D. Van-Buskirk, 69, San Diego
David W. Van-Buskirk, 69, San Diego
Carol White, Concord[3]
Frederick M. Wong, 85, Redwood City, San Mateo County
Lilla C (Wu) Wong, 80, Redwood City
Colorado 8
Mrs. Tamsin G. ‘Tammy’ Barnes, 65, Idledale
William M. Barnes, 63, Idledale
Elinor Janice Fairlamb Duckworth, Denver.[4]
Thomas Gaines McCulloch, 72, Durango
Ann Leigh Minturn, 71, Red Feather Lakes
Leroy James Sides, 77, Denver (buried at)
Michael Allen Sides, 40, Denver (buried at)
John William Voelker, 70, Durango
Connecticut 5
Arthur Eugene ‘Gene’ Billings, 70, Norfolk
Mrs. Barbara Billings, 71, Norfolk
Martin Greenberg, 74, Ridgefield
Natalie Greenberg, 69, Ridgefield
Ms. Henrietta (Mills) Mead, 61, Norfolk
Florida 6
Richard P. Burson, 77, Venice Isles
Ms. Lenor Burson, 79, Venice Isles
William A. “Willie’ Jackson Sr., 61, Scotch Plains and Orlando, FL
Dr. Henry Paul Jacobi, 71, Palm Harbour
Ms. Patricia Jacobi, 71, Palm Harbour
Mrs. Mitzi F. Schwenk, 48, Scotch Plains and Orlando, FL
Illinois 1
Eugenia (Misikaitis) Rhodes, 80, Chicago
Kansas 1
Lois E. Neufeld, 69, Hanston
Maine 1
Ms. Virginia Helen Chaplin, 72, Georgetown
Maryland 9
Donald Edwin Heck, 67, Chestertown
Mrs. Jeanne Heck, 63, Chestertown
Haitham Kheiry, 24
John William Schelpert III, 71, Chestertown
Joann (Appleyard) Schelpert, 71, Chestertown
Arthur F. “Art” Simermeyer, 72, Randallstown
Marie Simermeyer, 60, Randallstown
Caryl S. Welsh, 62, Clarksville, Howard County
Gerald Dale Welsh, 63, Clarksville, Howard County
Michigan 4
Larry Kowalsky, 74, West Bloomfield
Ms. Edith Kowalsky, 68, West Bloomfield
Norman Sydney Shapiro, 70, Bloomfield Township
Ms. Joan S. (Bonner) Shapiro, 64, Bloomfield Township
Mississippi 3
Capt. Edmund Anderson Miller, 72, West Point
Hannah Bell (McIlrath) Miller, 71, West Point
Mrs. Alice Ida (Havner) Walker, 80, Picayune
New Jersey 6
Ms. Gloria R. Bercielli, 70, Jamesburg, Monroe Township
William A. “Willie’ Jackson Sr., 61, Scotch Plains and Orlando, FL
Doris Rosen
Irving Rosen, 72, North Brunswick
Mrs. Mitzi F. Schwenk, 48, Scotch Plains and Orlando, FL
Ms. Anne M. Soernssen, 75, Jamesburg, Monroe Township, Middlesex County
New York 2
Robert T. Fitzpatrick, 68, Southold
Mrs. Sharon M. Fitzpatrick, 67, Southold
Erica T. Schwenk, 70, Hilton/Parma, Monroe County
Ohio 7
Adel M. Elkousy, 67, Chillicothe
Wafaa H. Elkousy, 61, Chillicothe
Rafik Fayez Iskander, 40, Lakewood
Ann M. McCormick, 72, Cleveland
Dr. Stephen Edward Reinhart, 38, Lakewood
Thomas Victor “Tom” Stone, 62, Columbus
Willadeen “Deannie” (Harrison) Dean Stone, Columbus
Oregon 4
Mrs. Dorene Alyce Beck, 60, Sweet Home
Raymond Dale Beck, 60, Sweet Home
Mrs. Elaine (Bertman) Walker, 64, Oregon City
Neal L. Walker, 76, Oregon City
Pennsylvania
Gerald W. Dunbar, 76, Wayne, Delaware County[5]
Texas 2
Sayed Abdalla, 43, Richardson
Mrs. Mary Lou Sterner, 66, Olmito
Vermont 1
Richard Spohn Brokaw, 76, Strafford
Virginia 1
Stanley A. Grams, 74, Norfolk City
Washington 2
Dorothy Allen, 54, Port Allen
Ms. Jean Allen, 28, Port Orchard
Sources
Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). New York. Accessed 3-9-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/New%20York.htm
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Egypt Air Flight 990, 31 Oct 1999. Accessed 3/9/2009 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19991031-0
BBC News. “World: Americas. Who was on board Flight 990.” 11-2-1999. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/502503.stm
Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority. Report of Investigation of Accident: EgyptAir Flight 990, October 31, 1999. 3-20-2002, 223 pages. At: http://www.ntsb.gov/events/ea990/docket/ecaa_report.pdf
Find A Grave. “1999 – EgyptAir Flight 990 Crash.” Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSsr=41&GSvcid=318461
Find A Grave. “Elinor Janice ‘Jan’ Fairlamb Duckworth.” Record added 10-9-2008. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GSvcid=318461&GRid=30449696&
Find A Grave. “Gerald W Dunbar.” Record added 8-26-2012. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GSvcid=318461&GRid=95968410&
Langewiesche, William. “The Crash of EgyptAir 990.” The Atlantic, November 2001. Accessed at: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200111/langewiesche
National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Brief. EgyptAir Flight 990 Boeing 767-366ER, SU-GAP, 60 Miles South of Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 31, 1999. Washington, DC: NTSB, March 13, 2002, 160 pages. At: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2002/AAB0201.pdf
Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAB0201.pdf
National Transportation Safety Board. EgyptAir Flight 990 Boeing 767-366ER, SU-GAP (Accident Brief). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 3-13-2002. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAB0201.aspx
SFGate (Marcus Gilmer). “EgyptAir 1999 crash,” 4-9-2015. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.sfgate.com/news/slideshow/EgyptAir-1999-crash-107119/photo-7786060.php
The Guardian, UK. “EgyptAir Passenger List.” 11-2-1999. Accessed 11-23-2015 at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/02/egyptaircrash.usa4
Wikipedia. “EgyptAir Flight 990.” Accessed 3-9-2009: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990
Additional Reading
St. Petersburg Times, FL. “Passenger List for EgyptAir Flight 990.” 11-2-1999.
At: http://www.sptimes.com/News/110299/Worldandnation/Passenger_list_for_Eg.shtml
[1] Cited is St. Petersburg Times (FL). “Passenger List for EgyptAir Flight 990,” November 2, 1999.
[2] Compiled primarily from BBC News, The Guardian (UK) and Find A Grave sources in “Sources” section.
[3] SFGate (Marcus Gilmer). “EgyptAir 1999 crash,” 4-9-2015.
[4] Find A Grave. “Elinor Janice ‘Jan’ Fairlamb Duckworth.” Record added 10-9-2008.
[5] Find A Grave. “Gerald W Dunbar.” Record added 8-26-2012.