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Overheating iPad Caused Crash?

According to an article published in the UK Mirror on June 7, 2017, French authorities have raised the theory that the crash in the Mediterranean of EgyptAir flight MS804 while en route from Paris to Cairo in May of 2016 may have been caused by the pilot’s iPad catching fire. While initially a bomb was suspected, after viewing the closed circuit video that has surfaced, they are now investigating­ this potential cause of the incident aboard AirBus A320.

Sources have stated that the video shows the first officer placing a tablet and bottle of perfume on an instrument panel, which is where the fire may have started. The probe by experts in lithium batteries examines whether an Apple iPhone 6S and an iPad Mini 4 that belonged to the officer could have been plugged into the incorrect socket type.

Smoke in the toilet and avionics bay is shown in the footage, while the front wreckage indicates temperature­ damage and soot. Also, the voice recorder is believed to have captured the crew battling a fire.

Egyptian authorities continue to place the blame for the tragedy on a bomb placed onboard at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). In fact, last December, an Egyptian­ investigative committee found traces of explosives on the remains of victims. Other experts are also skeptical. Apple says French authorities have not contacted them about the iPad theory and doubt that the overheating of one of their products could have created damage severe enough to cause the crash.

International aviation expert David Learmount also has doubts, noting that pilots don’t leave objects on the dashboard because they could potentially jam the controls. Also, he noted that a phone bursting into flames would be a “fairly spectacular thing to take place on a flight,” and that the crew would have told somebody on the ground.

The investigation continues into the causes of this tragedy.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

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FlightNurse June 12, 2017

This can't be a real article, "investigating­ this potential cause of the AirBus A320." AirBus? Really