EgyptAir, flight MS804, that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea was due to cockpit fire – French Investigators
July 7, 2018

French investigators say, the EgyptAir, flight MS804, that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on 19 May 2016 was due to cockpit fire.
Incident:
An EgyptAir Airbus AA320, Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea some 200 km north of the Egyptian coast line, killing all 66 on board on 19 May 2016.
Findings
Based on the debris collected from the wreckage, and extracted data from two flight recorders the Egyptian Authority reported the following.
– The flight recorders stopped operating while the aircraft was in cruise at an altitude of 37,000 feet;
– The aircraft systems sent ACARS messages indicating the presence of smoke in toilets and the avionics bay;
– The data from the data recorder confirms these messages;
– The playback of the cockpit voice recorder reveals, in particular, that the crew mentioned the existence of a fire on board;
– Some of the debris retrieved from the accident site had signs of having been subject to high temperatures, and traces of soot.
Conclusion
Based on these elements, the BEA considers that the most likely hypothesis is that a fire broke out in the cockpit while the aeroplane was flying at its cruise altitude and that the fire spread rapidly resulting in the loss of control of the aeroplane.