Aircraft Crash in the Sinai Desert (EI-ETJ)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence The aircraft departed Sharm el-Sheikh at 0549 local time, bound for Saint Petersburg-Pulkovo Airport. It was cleared to climb to flight level 350. The flight carried 217 passengers and seven crew members. Approximately 23 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft entered a steep descent, reaching a rate of 6,000 feet per minute while its speed decreased. All radar and radio contact were lost at 0613 local time. The aircraft crashed in a desert area about 50 kilometers southeast of Hasna, in the Sinai. None of the 224 occupants survived. The aircraft struck the ground in a slightly flat attitude and was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire, which affected the central part of the fuselage and wings. Debris was scattered over a 16-square-kilometer area. The engines and tail were found several hundred meters from the main wreckage. It is believed the aircraft partially disintegrated in the air, likely during the final phase of the descent rather than at high altitude.