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Families Of EgyptAir Plane Crash Victims Claim Tragedy Was Caused By 'Overheating iPad Or iPhone'

Families Of EgyptAir Plane Crash Victims Claim Tragedy Was Caused By 'Overheating iPad Or iPhone'

Families have claimed that an Apple device could be responsible for the tragedy but industry experts have rubbished the theory.

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

An EgyptAir crash that killed 66 people could have been caused by an 'overheating Apple product', according to family members who have filed a lawsuit.

Now investigators in France are examining the claims that the plane crashed in May 2016 because of the pilot's overheated smartphone batteries.

Some industry experts have rubbished the theory, however, claiming that it is more likely a short circuit or other explosion took place below the cockpit, as reported by The Sun.

A source from the French aviation investigation suggested there could be a 'troubling parallel' between where the fire broke out in the cockpit and where the co-pilot left his iPhone, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

PA

According to The Sun, family members of the victims have now filed a law suit alleging that the fire on board was started when the co-pilot's iPhone 6S or iPad mini overheated.

TMZ have seen documents filed by lawyers representing the families which claim that overheating could have led to a larger fire which caused the the tragedy.

The EgyptAir flight 804 killed all 66 people on board when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in May 2016.

No cause has been found and the investigation continues.

CCTV cameras at Charles de Gaulle airport clearly show the personal belongings lying on the glare-shield, said Le Parisien.

The paper said: "The images very clearly indicate that the Egyptian co-pilot put his telephone, tablet and bottles of perfume bought before boarding on the glare-shield."

There were no security issues with the devices when the co-pilot passed through the normal airport security controls, it continued.

"The investigators hence note a troubling parallel between the placing of these items that are fed by lithium batteries and the triggering of alarms during the flight," Le Parisien added.

But David Learmount, operations and safety editor at Flight International magazine and a former pilot, told the Daily Telegraph he thought the battery theory was a 'red herring'.

He explained: "Firstly, pilots don't leave objects on the dashboard because they know the they will end up in their lap when they take off or on the floor and they'll get airborne in turbulence and could jam the controls."

"Also, a phone bursting into flames just below the windscreen is a fairly spectacular thing to take place on a flight, and they would have told somebody on the ground. Nobody has mentioned this.

"But the key point is while there were warnings about the window heating systems, there were also smoke alarms in the toilet and avionics bay under the floor.

"How would the fire have got under there? It doesn't make sense."

Previously Apple said it had not been contacted by any authority investigating the tragedy.They added that there was no evidence to link it to its products.

A spokesman said: "We haven't been contacted by GTA or any authority investigating this tragic event. We have not seen the 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."

Last month footage was released after a female passenger was partially sucked out of the window of a Southwest Airlines plane and later died.

One passenger, Marty Martinez, filmed himself live on Facebook as he fitted his oxygen mask.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Crash, News, Technology