Mar 3, 2000 - 07:06 PM

Investigators Ask Navy to Recover More of EgyptAir Wreckage

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Investigators asked the Navy on Friday to recover the remaining engine and more flight-control equipment from the wreckage of an EgyptAir jet that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 217 aboard.

About 70 percent of the plane has been recovered from the ocean floor off the coast of Massachusetts, but officials close to the investigation have said that examinations of the airliner's remains have revealed no signs of mechanical failure that would have caused the crash on Oct. 31, 1999.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall has disputed reports that investigators are increasingly convinced the jet was crashed deliberately, saying his agency must conduct more studies before they settle on a cause.

"This effort is being undertaken to ensure that investigators will have access to all available wreckage information that may assist them in determining the cause," Hall said Friday.

An underwater survey of the debris after the December recovery mission identified the possible location of other aircraft components that might offer clues to investigators. The planned recovery operation, which will take up to 10 days, is scheduled to begin March 18. Once recovered, the additional parts of the Boeing 767 will be examined by investigators in Quonset Point, R.I.

Investigators have asked Boeing to help conduct tests, but an NTSB source said some of that work has been delayed by a strike by the company's engineers and technical workers.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIRPNNGE5C.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 04, 2000