When EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo crashed mysteriously into the Mediterranean a year ago, killing 66 people, Donald Trump quickly called it a terrorist act. But according to a report in Friday’s daily newspaper Le Parisien, French investigators are now focusing on the possibility the copilot’s Apple iPhone 6S or his iPad Mini 4 may have been plugged into an unsuitable outlet in the cockpit and burned or blew up, setting off the chain of events leading to the crash. Fifteen French citizens were killed, but French investigators have had to work around the reluctance of the Egyptian government to cooperate.
Security records showed the flight crew had the Apple devices in their bags when they were scanned at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, and cameras trained on the Airbus A320 when it was at the gate showed the devices in the cockpit. The investigators believe the copilot may have plugged them into sockets not intended for phone recharging. Result: “spontaneous combustion” of the lithium batteries.
“Cockpit plugs are not made for toasters or coffee pots,” one source told Le Parisien. “They’re for professional use.” Apple has said it will cooperate fully with investigators. “We haven’t been contacted by GTA or any authority investigating this tragic event,” Apple said in a statement to The Daily Beast. “We have not seen any report but we understand there is no evidence to link this event to Apple products. If investigators have questions for us, we would of course assist in any way we can.We rigorously test our products to ensure they meet or exceed international safety standards.” Trump, at the time of the crash, tweeted: “Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!” Read more at LE PARISIEN (FRENCH).
{Matzav}
