Strengthening the theory that a bomb on board caused the Russian plane crash instead of a mechanical failure, European investigators who analyzed the plane's black box said that the two flight recorders captured an explosion, CNN reported.
"It's this split second, and it's a millisecond, where you hear an explosion of some description," CNN Aviation Analyst Richard Quest said. "And you see all the parameters [on the recorder] go haywire before the power is completely lost. If this report, is accurate, [investigators] have now analyzed that... heard it and they can identify it."
Richard Quest, therefore, suggested that there was a bomb on board, saying that the key to undermining the Russian plane crash is what happened just before the black box data suddenly stopped. He said that if it were due to a mechanical failure, there would have been more noise for a longer time.
In its report, The Guardian cited that several French media outlets, including France 2, said that the investigators, after listening to the black box they have successfully recovered, concluded that a bomb had been detonated leading to the Russian plane crash and ruled out structural or pilot error. From what they heard, pilots were normally chatting with each other and with the airport controllers before an explosion was heard then nothing.
"Everything was normal during the flight, absolutely normal, and suddenly there was nothing," a source told AFP, adding that the plane suffered a "violent, sudden end."
It was previously reported that the U.S. Intelligence confirmed that the bomb on board was caused by a bomb planted by terror group ISIS or its affiliate and that someone at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport helped to load the bomb on the plane. The U.S. Intelligence added that with the lax security in the airport, loading the bomb was possible.
ISIS also previously released on social media through its Sinai branch an audio message about the Russian plane crash, saying: "Find your black boxes and analyze them, give us the results of your investigation and the depth of your expertise and prove we didn't do it or how it was downed. Die with your rage. We are the ones with God's blessing who brought it down. And God willing, one day we will reveal how, at the time we desire."
A news conference will be held on Saturday afternoon by the Egyptian aviation minister, Hossam Kamal, and the head of the Egypt-led investigation.
