Data from one of the black boxes of a crashed EgyptAir plane showed smoke alarms had sounded on board, while soot was found on the wreckage, an Egyptian-led investigative committee said Wednesday (June 29th).
The black box had been retrieved from the bottom of the Mediterranean after the Airbus A320 with 66 people on board plunged into the sea on May 19th while heading to Cairo from Paris, AFP reported.
It had recorded the flight's data from its departure until it stopped at an altitude of 11,250 metres, the committee said in a statement.
"Recorded data is showing a consistency with ACARS messages of lavatory smoke and avionics smoke," it said.
Investigators had previously announced that the plane's automated Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) sent signals indicating smoke alarms on board the plane before it went down.
"Parts of the front section of the aircraft showed signs of high temperature damage and soot," the committee statement added.
The repair work of the cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, is under way at the France's BEA air safety agency.
Both Egyptian and French judiciary have opened investigations into the incident, without ruling out that the plane had been deliberately downed.
