What happened
On the scheduled flight from Los Angeles to Cairo via New York, the Boeing 767 operated by EgyptAir departed JFK International Airport at 01:19. During the initial climb, the flight crew followed standard instructions from New York TRACON and ARTCC, eventually leveling off at FL330. During the cruise phase, the relief first officer took over controls from the command first officer. Shortly after 01:48, the captain left the flightdeck to use the restroom.
At approximately 01:49, the aircraft's autopilot was disconnected. Following this, the throttle levers were moved from cruise power to idle, and the elevator moved into an abrupt nose-down position. The aircraft entered a rapid descent, with the load factor dropping significantly. During this period, the relief first officer repeatedly made the verbal statement, "I rely on God."
As the aircraft descended through 27,300 feet, the engine start lever switches were moved to the cutoff position, effectively shutting down both engines. The flight crew engaged in a struggle to regain control, with the captain attempting to pull the controls while the elevator surfaces moved in opposing directions. The aircraft's speed exceeded its maximum operating limit, triggering a master warning. After a brief period of level flight and a change in heading, the aircraft entered a second descent that ended when the plane impacted the ocean. There were 0 survivors from the crash.
Findings
Flight data and cockpit voice recordings indicate that the descent was initiated by the movement of the throttle levers to idle and a sudden nose-down elevator input. The manual shutdown of the engines by the relief first officer was a critical factor in the loss of power during the emergency.