# Egypt Air Flight **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 1999, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338 "1999-12-13T04:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/1 "1999-12-13T04:24:00Z")
Just who is paying for the investigation. If we are, why? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/2 "1999-12-13T05:40:00Z")
I believe the investigation is being paid for by the US Government through the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is investigating because they are required to by law. The airplane went down in the US. It’s not like at the end of it, the NTSB is going to send a bill to Egypt saying, “Pay up.” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/3 "1999-12-15T06:13:00Z")
Actually, the crash was in international waters. Egypt _should_ be heading the investigation (it was their plane), but because the US is so much closer, the responsability has been foisted on us. * * * “I had a feeling that in Hell there would be mushrooms.” -The Secret of Monkey Island ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/4 "1999-12-15T00:04:00Z")
Um, well, it wasn’t exactly “foisted.” Ready for some irresponsible inside the Beltway poop? According to my completely disreputable sources, Egypt, and EgyptAir have a disturbing attitude toward aircraft crashes. They seem to investigate plane crashes sort of like kids play hide and seek with the obnoxious geek down the street; “sorry, didn’t find you, pal.” Again, completely without documentation, I was told that one airplane supposedly went down because a stowaway in the luggage compartment decided to use a sterno can to heat up a cup of tea–which then went on to ignite the luggage. Authorities were embarassed, and have since had a propensity to investigate accidents just far enough that people forget about it. This same source informed me that EA heavily rotates its aircraft to first-world airports, where maintenance can be more dependably performed than at home. “I’ll bet anything that plane went down because some essential part hadn’t been replaced since the thing was built,” this person told me. Even if all of the above is complete crap, and I wouldn’t be suprised if it is, I _know_ it is not coincidental that US authorities decided they’d better keep a hand in this one. If anyone has any real evidence to back this up, I’d love to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/5 "1999-12-15T01:09:00Z")
So why should the US pay tax dollars to find out why an EGYPTIAN plane crashed. Especially if the suicide theory pans out. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 1999, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/egypt-air-flight/5338/6 "1999-12-15T01:16:00Z")
You’re kidding right? The plane left from U.S. soil and had many U.S. citizens abroad. Safer air travel benefits everyone. And knowing what causes a plane to crash increases air travel safety. Also, most commercial airliners are built by U.S. companies, so it helps the U.S. economy if people don’t lose faith in U.S. airplanes. * * * Quand les talons claquent, l’esprit se vide. Maréchal Lyautey