Metrojet crash over Sinai is third Airbus A321-200 hull loss

The Oct. 31 crash of Metrojet flight 9268, now confirmed by Airbus, was only the third hull loss of an Airbus A321-200 and the worst accident so far involving the type.

"Airbus regrets to confirm that an A321-200 operated by Metrojet was involved in an accident shortly after 6:17 local time (04:17 GMT) over the Sinai Peninsula today. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight 7K-9268 from Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt) to St. Petersburg (Russia)," Airbus said in a statement.

The European manufacturer confirmed the identify of the aircraft as tail number EI-ETJ (MSN663), powered by IAE-V2500s. It was produced in 1997 and has been operated by Metrojet since 2012, accumulating 56,000 flight hours and nearly 21,000 sectors since its original entry into service.

"In line with ICAO annex 13, an Airbus go-team of technical advisors stands-by ready to provide full technical assistance to French investigation agency – BEA – and to the authorities in charge of the investigation," Airbus said.

The Russian embassy in Cairo has reportedly said there are no survivors among the 224 people on board.

Flight 7K-9268 took off from Sharm el Sheikh airport at 5.49 a.m. local time. The aircraft appeared to be climbing steadily towards its cruising altitude with no unusual speed deviations noticeable until 06.13 a.m. when it was crossing the Sinai peninsula. About one minute before radar contact was lost, massive speed and altitude changes were traced. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the last recorded speed was 92 knots at an altitude of 28,375 ft.

An Egyptian official claimed the crew had declared an emergency because of unspecified technical problems and requested diversion to the nearest airport. The Egyptian government was fast in ruling out a terrorist attack.

The aircraft was originally delivered to Middle East Airlines on lease from ILFC and later operated for Onur Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Kolavia. Its last operator, Kogalymavia, operates under the Metrojet brand and is based in Kogalym. The carrier specializes in international charter flying. Among others, it operates another three Airbus A321-200s.

In 2010 an Airblue A321 crashed into the side of a mountain during a poor weather approach to Islamabad. All 152 on board died. The only other A321 hull losses affected a TransAsia Airways A321-100. The aircraft, delivered in 1996, hit a utility vehicle on the runway while landing in Tainan/Taiwan injuring two construction workers. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Other recent A320 family accidents include the Dec. 28, 2014, crash of Indonesia AirAsia flight 8501 for which major speed and altitude fluctuations were reported before contact was lost. There have been 34 hull losses for the A320 family, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

ATW online

Photo:Ton Jochems - AYT - A321-EI-ETJ