DATE=11/2/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=EGYPT AIR CRASH (L)
NUMBER=2-255740
BYLINE=NICK SIMEONE
DATELINE=NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO:  Investigators continue looking for clues to 
what caused an Egyptian airliner to plunge into the 
Atlantic ocean after taking off Sunday from New York's 
Kennedy airport.  Correspondent Nick Simeone reports 
Navy divers are hoping to soon be able to collect the 
flight and voice recorders from the Boeing 7-6-7 
resting in deep waters off the northeastern U-S coast.

TEXT:  Friends and family members of the 217-people 
killed aboard Egypt Air Flight-990 are arriving in 
Rhode Island, near where jet wreckage will be brought 
to be reassembled.  The process is much the same as 
the way wreckage from T-W-A Flight-800 was pieced 
together when it exploded three-years ago after taking 
off from Kennedy airport.

But this investigation is already more difficult.  The 
Egyptian airliner is submerged in deeper water and 
further off shore than the wreckage of the T-W-A 
flight.  The expected arrival of rain and heavy wind 
will make the process of dredging up wreckage and the 
clues it may contain more difficult.  

A potential breakthrough came Monday when the Coast 
Guard detected what could be signals from the plane's 
voice and data recorders from below the ocean surface.  
The so-called black boxes could contain clues as to 
why the EgyptAir flight dropped from radar screens.

But investigators say they still have no clues to the 
cause of the crash.  Nothing at this point is being 
ruled out and a massive search involving federal 
agencies, including the F-B-I is underway.  Bits of 
wreckage and personal belongings recovered so far 
point to no sign of an explosion or sabotage. 

In Newport, a memorial service is planned later 
(Tuesday) for people who lost relatives on the flight.  
Family members can only wait while authorities try to 
find out what caused the third major air disaster in 
this region in as many years.   (SIGNED) 

NEB/NJS/RAE



02-Nov-1999 12:37 PM EDT (02-Nov-1999 1737 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.