Russian airline rules out technical fault, blames Sinai crash on ‘external factors’

The Russian airline Metrojet has ruled out any technical fault or human error that may have caused a Russian plane to crash in Sinai on Saturday, killing everyone on board.

Alexander Smirnov, the deputy general director of the airline, attributed the crash to an “external impact on the plane” that caused it to break up in the air, the Associated Press (AP) reported Monday.

The Russian passenger plane was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members when it crashed shortly after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh early Saturday morning.

Smirnov said the plane dropped 5,000 feet at a speed of 186 mph one minute before it crashed.

The crew “totally lost control, and for that reason there was not one attempt to get in contact," he added.

Smirnov maintained that the plane was in excellent technical condition prior to departure.

Viktor Yung, deputy director general at Metrojet, reiterated that there was not “a single attempt to get in touch [with air traffic control] and report the situation on board,” AP said.

“From the moment since the events took a tragic turn, the crew became incapacitated,” Yung said at a press conference Monday.

Earlier accounts citing Egyptian officials had suggested the pilot had reported technical difficulties and wanted to make an emergency landing.

Unconfirmed reports had also circulated indicating that the Province of Sinai, an Islamic State affiliate, claimed responsibility for the fatal crash. 

A purported Province of Sinai statement posted to social media claimed that its members had shot the plane down, which they said was carrying “over 220 Russian crusaders.”

However, some have argued  that the group does not have the capacity to attack the commercial aircraft, since it was flying at an altitude of over 31,000 feet.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that no possible cause for the crash should be ruled out, including a terrorist attack, the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Dmitry Peskov, the press spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said it is best to wait for the results of the investigation rather than make claims and assumptions that have no basis.