French investigators say fire, not a bomb, caused the EgyptAir flight crash in 2016

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo that crashed in May 2016, killing all 66 people on board, was probably caused by a cockpit fire, French investigators said.

The development contradicts the suggestion by Egyptian authorities that a bomb may have been the cause.

In rare criticism of another country’s crash investigation, the French BEA air accident investigation agency said the Egyptian authorities had apparently not followed up calls for further investigations.

Egyptian officials have said traces of explosives were found on human remains retrieved from the crash, suggesting it was a malicious act.

“The BEA’s proposals concerning further work on the debris and recorded data were not, as far as the BEA knows, followed up. The technical elements of the investigation already collected by Egypt, including those provided by the BEA, are protected by the Egyptian judicial investigation,” the French statement said.

Twelve of those killed in the crash were French nationals.

It is unusual for investigators to comment publicly on a case being led by counterparts in another country. Any disagreement would usually be expressed confidentially.

“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,” the agency said.

It noted Egyptian investigators had not published their final report, adding that the BEA was ready to resume work with Egyptian authorities.

The case was handed to judicial authorities after the Egyptian assessment of the cause given in December 2016.

An official at Egypt’s aviation ministry said the public prosecutor was investigating, with responsibility for the case because of the potential for criminal charges.