Russian A321 crash in Egypt

[Nigel C]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel...-1227589431084

Up to 224 people feared dead after a Kogalymavia A321 crashed soon after take-off en-route to St Petersburg.

[MarkR]

Interesting damage on the wing. Photo credit amichais@iba.org.il

[Nigel C]

Those dirtbags from IS are claiming they brought it down...

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel...-1227589431084

[Grahame Hutchison]

The fact that the port wing is laid out in one piece, and what looks like the starboard wing on the opposite side, would suggest that the aircraft did not just plunge from FL330, but there was some aspect of control about the crash. There does not appear to be any ground disturbance behind the wing, and only some minor disturbance behind the fuselage, suggesting a more vertical impact.

From ABC.net.au/News ... "Experts have affirmed that technically planes at this altitude cannot be shot down". Although what about the "Buk" missile that took out MH17, lets wait and see if the IS claims have any basis in truth.

Jagged puncture marks in the port wing "could" suggest an explosive uncontained engine event. The tail fin appears to have been severely ripped backwards and slightly laterally, possibly from being hit by another piece of the aircraft in a breakup (or by just hitting the ground fuselage first with the tail leaning backwards somewhat). The Black Boxes have been recovered, and will hopefully help to determine the cause of this tragic crash.

[MarkR]

It's actually the starboard wing in the photo, upside down. This aircraft had previously suffered a tail strike, another photo shows a very clear separation area on the fuselage where the tail would normally be attached. The flight profile is not dissimilar to China Air 611.

[Mark Grima]

ABC24 reporting that the Americans are now saying IS are responsible.

Mark

[Matthew Chisholm]

I also found it strange the comment about not being able to be shot down at that altitude.

[Nigel C]

Perhaps a shoulder mounted SAM might not, but a more sophisticated unit like the BUK can?

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by Matthew Chisholm

I also found it strange the comment about not being able to be shot down at that altitude.

News outlets definition of an "expert" is generally someone who sounds like they know what they are talking about and is available at short notice. They are also very good at taking things out of context. It's quite possible the "expert" was talking about MANPADS which are limited to around FL200 or so in range. The Egyptian armed forces have AA missile systems capable of reaching FL800 (descendants of the system that shot down Gary Powers in a U2), they are just a bit harder to steal and use if you are a terrorist.