Aircraft disaster resulting in the death of a British citizen, determined by the coroner, attributed to an oxygen blaze on the EgyptAir flight
Fresh Take:
In the tragic incident of approximately a decade ago, an EgyptAir plane crash that claimed the lives of 66 individuals, including a native of West Wales, Richard Osman, was conclusively identified as an oxygen fire-induced disaster by a coroner's ruling.
Osman, a beloved geologist, left behind a wife and two children, numerous friends, and colleagues in Carmarthen. The fateful flight, MS804, bound for Cairo from Paris, disappeared mysteriously over the Mediterranean in May 2016.
During a recent inquest, the coroner dismissed a report by an Egyptian investigator implying a deliberate explosion onboard as the primary cause of the catastrophe. Instead, the coroner, Mark Layton, concurred with a British expert's hypothesis suggesting a sudden fire on the aircraft, possibly triggered by a leak at an oxygen mask in the cockpit.
Addressing the remarkable delay in conducting the inquest, Layton made it clear that they waited for comprehensive evidence to become available. The ill-fated flight entered Greek airspace before it vanished, with the crash taking place subsequently.
According to the inquest findings, the fire would have expanded rapidly, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable before the crash occurred. Tragically, there were no survivors among the 59 passengers, two flight crew members, and five cabin attendants onboard.
Osman's bereaved wife, Aurelie Vandeputte, poignantly described him as a beloved, cherished individual in her family circle, among friends, and colleagues alike.
In a narrative conclusion, Layton stated: "Richard Osman was a passenger aboard a commercial flight MS804, which was traveling from Paris to Cairo and tragically met its end in the Mediterranean Sea on 19 May 2016. The crash resulted from a fire onboard caused due to an unidentified ignition source, most likely related to the first officer's oxygen supply system. This ignition source may have been the initiator or the fuel for an oxygen leak."
Insights:
- The Egyptian investigator's claim of a deliberate explosion was rejected, and the cause of the crash was instead determined to be an oxygen fire.
- British and Egyptian experts held differing views about the cause of the crash, which were discussed during the inquest.
- The coroner agreed with a British expert's assessment that a fire onboard likely resulted from a leak in the first officer's oxygen mask.
- The explosion could have been the result or the cause of the oxygen leak on the aircraft.
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Tap here to followThe coroner sympathized with Osman's family, expressing his heartfelt condolences, and acknowledged the extraordinary patience and understanding shown by his wife, Aurelie Vandeputte, throughout the lengthy investigative process. He also pledged to compile a report aimed at preventing similar calamities in the future.
- The coroner, Mark Layton, has expressed his intention to create a report aimed at preventing a future tragedy like the EgyptAir flight MS804 accident, which he determined to be caused by an oxygen fire.
- The coroner, Mark Layton, even after a decade, showed empathy towards the family of Richard Osman, the West Wales native who lost his life in the EgyptAir flight MS804 crash, praising Aurelie Vandeputte's admirable patience and understanding during the long investigation.
- In a recent inquest, the coroner, Mark Layton, rejected an Egyptian investigator's claim of a deliberate plane explosion, instead agreeing with a British expert's hypothesis that a sudden fire on the EgyptAir flight MS804, bound for Cairo from Paris, was likely triggered by a leak in the first officer's oxygen mask.
- In contrast to the Egyptian investigator, the coroner found that the EgyptAir flight MS804 accident was not caused by a deliberate explosion but rather an oxygen fire, likely initiated from the first officer's oxygen supply system, making it imperative to focus on car-accidents, fires, and general-news related to aircraft safety and prevention.
