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U.S. Agencies Say Not Invited To Join Egypt Probe Into Russian Plane Crash

U.S. Agencies Say Not Invited To Join Egypt Probe Into Russian Plane Crash

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Neither the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) nor the FBI have been invited to join the Egyptian-led investigation into the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula late last month, officials at the two U.S. agencies said on Thursday.

Representatives for the FBI said that the bureau had offered both Egyptian and Russian crash investigators forensic assistance and other investigative help, but as of Thursday its offers had not been accepted.

An NTSB spokesman said that for the last several days his agency had been answering technical questions from Egyptian crash investigators on an informal basis. Some questions have related to the plane’s engines, manufactured by the U.S. company Pratt & Whitney, the spokesman for the air transport safety agency said.

But the spokesman said that no formal agreement had been struck between Egyptian authorities and the United States for the NTSB to participate officially in Egypt’s investigation of the crash of Metrojet flight 9268, and that no such agreement is imminent.

The NTSB says it is normally asked to participate in investigations of foreign air accidents regardless of where the plane or engines were manufactured. The agency is automatically involved in crashes on U.S. soil. The FBI is often invited in cases where terrorism is a possible cause.

The NTSB has only offered its assistance to Egypt, the spokesman added, because that is where the plane crashed and Egyptian authorities have the lead in the investigation. No NTSB personnel are in Egypt to assist authorities there, the spokesman said.

The Metrojet flight, an Airbus A-321, crashed around 23 minutes after takeoff from the Sinai resort of Sharm al-Sheikh on Oct. 31 on a flight to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board the plane were killed.

Many U.S. and European investigators believe the plane was brought down by a bomb, but have not ruled out mechanical failure or other possible causes. The Sinai affiliate of the Syria-based Islamic State movement issued messages claiming credit for the crash.

Neither Russia nor Egypt may be keen to share crash investigation data and results with U.S. experts, current and former U.S. officials say. Confirmation that militants brought down the airliner could have a devastating impact on Egypt’s lucrative tourist industry, which was hit hard last week when Russia, Turkey and several European countries suspended flights to Sharm al-Sheikh and other destinations.

Relations between Egyptian authorities and the NTSB have been strained at least since the 1999 crash off the coast of Massachusetts of Egyptair 990, a flight from New York to Cairo. NTSB investigators concluded that the flight was deliberately plunged into the sea by a suicidal co-pilot.

Egyptian investigators attributed the crash to mechanical failure.

(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal and Alwyn Scott; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

The remains of a Russian airliner are seen as military investigators inspect the crash site in al-Hasanah area in El Arish city, north Egypt, November 1, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Germanwings Co-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Flight, Prosecutors Say

Germanwings Co-Pilot Intentionally Crashed Flight, Prosecutors Say

By Andrew McCathie, dpa (TNS)

BERLIN — The co-pilot of Germanwings flight 4U9525 “intentionally” crashed the Airbus with 150 people on board into the French Alps, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Thursday.

The co-pilot’s “intention was to destroy this plane,” Robin told a press conference in the southern French city. By pressing the button “he triggered the plane to go down.”

Robin named the co-pilot as Andreas Lubitz, 28. The incident is no longer being treated as a case of involuntary homicide, with the prosecutor stressing that the co-pilot was not considered a terrorist.

While avoiding the use of the word “suicide,” the prosecutor said the co-pilot had taken control of the aircraft after the captain left the cockpit and “voluntarily allowed the plane to descend.”

Lubitz was conscious before impact.

“His breathing was normal. It was not the breathing of someone about to carry out an act. He did not utter a word,” he said.

The passengers were likely not aware of a crash until just before impact, the prosecutor said.

“We could hear the cries (of the passengers) just minutes before the plane crash,” he said. “The co-pilot refused to open the door to let the captain back in,” even though the pilot was “violently” knocking on the door.

Photo: An aerial photo shows what appears to be wreckage from the crash of a Germanwings plane in the French Alps, between Barcelonnette and Digne, on Tuesday, March 24, 2015. (Duclet Stephane/Maxppp/Zuma Press/TNS)

Actor Harrison Ford Injured When His Plane Crashes On Golf Course

Actor Harrison Ford Injured When His Plane Crashes On Golf Course

By Matt Stevens and Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

LOS ANGELES — Actor Harrison Ford was injured Thursday when his vintage airplane experienced engine trouble and crash-landed on a Venice golf course — an accident that could well spur efforts to close Santa Monica Municipal Airport.

Ford, 72, an experienced pilot and owner of several aircraft, plowed the yellow-and-silver plane into a fairway at Penmar golf course about 2:25 p.m., shortly after takeoff. According to air traffic control recordings, he reported an engine failure to the Santa Monica tower and had been cleared to return.

Authorities said Ford managed to fly over Penmar, which is on the airport’s departure route and provides a swath of open space for pilots to use in emergencies.

He was flying solo in a restored Ryan PT-22 Recruit, a sleek two-place monoplane built during World War II to train Army Air Forces pilots. Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane is registered to MG Aviation Inc., a Delaware company.

Los Angeles firefighters said Ford, best known for his roles in the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” movies, was conscious when they arrived. He was outside the plane being tended by several bystanders.

Paramedics treated Ford at the scene and he remained hospitalized Thursday night. At an afternoon news conference, Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Butler said Ford was alert and had suffered moderate trauma.

“Normally, the outcomes are fatalities, so we are very thankful,” Butler said.

Ina Treciokas, Ford’s publicist, said in a prepared statement that the actor was banged up, but his injuries were not life-threatening. He is expected to make a full recovery, she said. Some of his injuries have been described as bumps, bruises and cuts.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will investigate the crash and determine its cause.

Shortly after the accident, anti-airport activists and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, whose Westside district borders Santa Monica Municipal Airport, reiterated their positions that the beleaguered facility should be shut down.

They contend that the airport is unsafe, and that surrounding neighborhoods are affected by noise and air pollution from flight operations. City officials have tried repeatedly to close the facility and to ban certain types of jets, but they have lost in court battles with the FAA.

“Really, for me, the first concern has always been the fear of a plane falling out of the sky and landing in someone’s home,” Bonin said. “That has happened in the past.”

NTSB records and news reports show there have been 42 Santa Monica-related crashes since 1982 within five miles of the airport. Eleven planes came down in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles neighborhoods.

One crashed in a Venice intersection and two, including Ford’s plane, have come down on Penmar. No one on the ground has been killed or seriously injured.

Based on the number of accidents per 100,000 takeoffs and landings, Santa Monica ranks in the middle of the 11 busiest general aviation airports with control towers in Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside counties.

“We are certainly hoping that Harrison Ford will have a full recovery,” said Martin Rubin, president of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution. “But this is the second crash in Penmar over the years. This certainly raises safety concerns. Santa Monica is unique in the nation because it has dense neighborhoods next to an airport.”

Valerie Davidson, a 25-year Santa Monica resident who lives one street away from the site of Thursday’s crash, said: “We all live in fear here.

“It’s really going to cause a major problem when a big jet comes down,” said Davidson, 55. Ford “flies in and out of here all time. He’s not a friend of the residents of this neighborhood. I’m pleased he’s OK…. But this might be a wake-up call.”

FAA officials and airport supporters say the city is obligated under various agreements dating from 1948 to keep the airport open unless the U.S. government agrees otherwise. They also say the airport is a vital part of the region’s transportation system.

Ford has been part of the effort to preserve the airport. He contributed almost $26,000 to the campaign for a pro-airport ballot measure that was defeated in November’s city election.

He also joined with airport tenants in asking the federal government to determine whether the terms of an aviation improvement grant require Santa Monica to keep the airport open until at least 2023. That proceeding is pending.

At the time of Thursday’s crash, Ford had only recently recovered from a broken left leg he suffered in June while filming “Star Wars: Episode VII.” The injury required him to have surgery and go through rehab, causing a two-week hiatus in filming.

On screen, the actor has often starred in stunt-heavy adventure films — the “Indiana Jones” franchise, Blade Runner and Air Force One. When he played a pilot in Six Days/Seven Nights, he flew as part of the role after meeting requirements set out by the FAA and the film’s insurance company.

But he’s never been afraid of taking risks off-set, either. He’s long held a passion for both motorcycles and airplanes, telling Playboy in 2002 that he loves the “combination of freedom and responsibility” that flying gives him.

“It’s anonymity,” he said. “I’m not Harrison Ford, I’m November 1128 Sierra.”

Staff writers Brittny Mejia, Matt Hamilton, Amy Kaufman and Josh Rottenberg contributed to this report.

Photo: A vintage single-engine airplane, piloted by actor Harrison Ford, crashes on the Penmar Golf Course in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday, March 5, 2015. Ford was taken to a nearby hospital with “moderate trauma,” according to fire department officials. (Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Taiwan Plane Crashes Into River After Takeoff, Killing 31

Taiwan Plane Crashes Into River After Takeoff, Killing 31

By Yu-Tzu Chiu, dpa (TNS)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A Taiwanese passenger plane hurtled into a river after hitting a bridge shortly after taking off from a Taipei airport on Wednesday, killing at least 31 people.

TransAsia Airways flight 235 with 53 passengers and five crew members on board was en route from Songshan Airport to Kinmen Island when it crashed after takeoff at 10:52 a.m. (0252 GMT), according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

The twin-engine ATR 72 turboprop avoided the tall buildings of Taipei’s Nangang district, but its wing hit a bridge and it plunged into the river, a dramatic video posted online from a car’s dashcam showed.

By late Wednesday, 40 people on the flight had been accounted for, the aviation authority said. Fifteen people injured were hospitalized, while 12 people remained missing.

The driver of a taxi, which was struck by the plane’s wing, and a passenger inside were also hospitalized.

Rescuers hoisted the wreckage from the Keelung River with cranes.

TransAsia Airways chief executive officer Peter Chen apologized to the public. He said there were 31 Chinese tourists and 22 Taiwanese passengers on board.

Taiwan’s minister for the Mainland Affairs Council, a government body that deals with the Beijing authorities, said it would offer assistance to the family members of the affected Chinese tourists.

According to the state-run Central News Agency, China’s equivalent Taiwan Affairs Office will send a team to the island as soon as possible.

The cause of the crash was still unknown. Local media reported that analysts suspected that one of the engines lost power; the plane failed to gain altitude after takeoff.

TransAsia Airways said the plane was the latest ATR-72-600 type craft and the engines were new. Its most recent safety check was conducted Jan. 26.

Aviation authority director Lin Chih-ming said the plane was the same type as TransAsia Airways flight GE222 that crashed in Penghu in July 2014, killing 48 of the 59 people on board.

Photo: Rescuers carry out rescue operation after a plane plunged into a river in Taipei, southeast China’s Taiwan, Feb. 4, 2015. A Taiwan TransAsia Airways plane crashed into a Taipei river on Wednesday morning, killing at least 21 people. Flight ATR-72, which was headed for Kinmen from Taipei, had 58 people on board, including 31 passengers from the Chinese mainland. It crash landed in the Keelung River after it clipped an elevated motorway with its wing. (Jin Liwang/Xinhua/ZUMA Press/TNS)

This story has been updated