I was just rereading this article from the Atlantic Monthly, which discusses the Egyptian government’s efforts to derail the NTSB’s investigation of the November 1999 crash of EgyptAir 1990. Given these apparent coverup efforts, the clash in US and Egyptian cultures that this highlighted, and the common denominator of a suicidal pilot in a Boeing 767–I wonder why this case hasn’t been reexamined in the light of the events of September 11? I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest any kind of conspiratorial connection between the two events, but don’t the surrounding cultural and political factors surrounding the earlier crash look suggestive now of a larger-scale clash between the Western and Arab worlds, a conflict that could forseeably engender attacks like those on 9/11?
Any thoughts?
The thread title should read “EgyptAir crash”–mods, please change it if it looks like the title is confusing as it stands.
There are all sorts of theories, here’s a compilation of sorts. You can craft almost any plausible theory:
http://www.yowusa.com/authors/srussell/4Q99/flight990_1/EgyptAir_Flight_990_1.htmL
As for myself, I believe it was a test.
There’s been a story in the trade press, which unfortunately I cannot find a link to right now, that the supervisor of EgyptAir’s pilots was on board, and that he had just told el-Batouty that he was being taken off the US run for excessive drinking and whoring while here. That may or may not be motive for murder, though.
It does look like a test, though - al-Qaeda operatives have seemed to come from some fairly suprising backgrounds, and to have gone to some extremes to disguise their fundamentalism.
Famous last words: If he were Al Queda I am pretty sure we would have a few solid indications by now.
Not saying we know all there is to know and 100% what is what with that pack of crazy b@stards.
However consider :
OBL boasted, albeit obliquely about Cole, the Embassy’s and WTC.
We know alot about the who, what, where and when of the planning of all of the above. Including many attacks that were thwarted (e.g. millennium plots, Pacific air plots, Paris & Rome).
We have certainly scores and maybe 100’s of al Queda guys in custody throughout the world, if only 3-4% of them are talking …
I just think we’d have an indication now more than a vague:
“My goodness this looks suspicious in retrospect”.
There are other alternatives besides “It was an accident” and “Al-Qaida did it”. For instance, if it wasn’t an accident, it may have been the non-political act of one despondent or mentally unbalanced human being.