Flash Airlines Chartered Flight Crashes in Red Sea, Killing All on Board

A charter aircraft operated by Flash Airlines crashed into the Red Sea off Egypt early Saturday (3 January 2004), killing all 148 people on board.

According to the French Deputy Transportation Minister Dominique Bussereau, the pilot of the flight detected problems on takeoff from Sharm el-Shiek and attempted to return to the airport. Radar images show that the aircraft turned left as normal after takeoff, then suddenly straightened out and turned right before crashing into the sea, one minute after its left turn.

The Boeing 737 aircraft - one of two owned by the airline - had flown into Sharm el-Shiek early Saturday from Venice, Italy, before operating the flight to Paris, France via Cairo, Egypt. The aircraft reportedly underwent maintenance checks in Norway, as well as routine mechanical and safety checks before leaving Italy. Nothing abnormal was noted.

A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry has said that there were 133 French tourists on the flight as well as one Japanese, one Moroccan, and 13 Egyptian crew members.

Bodies recovered from the crash showed no traces of burns, tending to prove that there was no explosion aboard the flight. However, no conclusions about the incident will be drawn until the aircraft's flight recorders have been retrieved. A French submersible robot is expected to dive deep into the Red Sea today (5 January) to hunt for the devices.

Meanwhile, Swiss aviation authorities have revealed that they had banned Flash Airlines over technical worries. The carrier has denied the claim, stating that the ban was due to a financial dispute.