Accident
A four-engine aircraft departed Geneva-Cointrin Airport at 1105 LT, bound for Rome-Fiumicino Airport. While cruising at 21,000 feet on airway A3, the crew requested and received permission from air traffic control to modify their route due to a low pressure area. After the route change, communication was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed into the Ligurian Sea, approximately 27 kilometers north of Elbe Island.
Search and Recovery
Search and rescue operations were conducted but initially found no trace of the airplane or its 23 occupants. On October 3, tourists on a sailing vessel discovered a wheel floating on the water. Italian authorities confirmed the wheel belonged to the Egyptian airplane. Unfortunately, only a few pieces of wreckage were eventually recovered.
Investigation Findings
Due to a lack of evidence, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, official findings indicate that it is believed the loss of control resulted from severe turbulence encountered in a thunderstorm area, which caused the failure of certain aircraft components and eventual structural failure.