Evidence Gathered From CVR Indicates Fire Was Near Front Of The Aircraft

Evidence gathered from the repaired Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) that was aboard EgyptAir Flight MS804 indicates that the flight deck crew was battling a fire near the front of the airplane before it went down in the Mediterranean Sea in May.

United Press International reports that, according to Egyptian investigators, the audio confirms what was suggested by data collected from the flight. Officials already knew that smoke detectors had been triggered on board the airplane, and the information from the CVR backs up that there was a fire on the airplane.

The fire apparently started at the flight's cruising altitude of about 37,000 feet as it traveled from Paris to Cairo on May 19th. Authorities say the fire may have destroyed vital flight controls or incapacitated the pilots.

Both the Flight Data Recorder and the ACARS communication system aboard the airplane told investigators that smoke had been detected near the front lavatory and near the avionics bay in the front of the airplane. Wreckage salvaged from the ocean shows signs of damage possibly caused by high temperatures and soot in that area. But the audio from the CVR is the first solid evidence that there were actually flames on the A320.

Officials say that it was likely a fast-moving fire, as a distress call was never issued by the flight crew ... possibly because the crew was busy trying to extinguish the fire. The data recorders stopped abruptly before the plane went down, leading investigators to believe that the fire cut the power to the devices.

The cause of the fire is still not known.

(Image from YouTube video posted by user theDoubleH63. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.civilaviation.gov.eg