Technical report says crash that killed nine Hongkongers was probably due to gas leak, but it deliberately stops short of pointing a finger.<\/p>\n
The Egyptian aviation specialist who led a 10-month investigation into the hot-air balloon crash that killed 19 people, including nine Hong Kong tourists, in February last year, said yesterday that his report blaming a fuel leak for the disaster was not intended to apportion blame.<\/p>\n
An earlier criminal investigation found that human error caused the tragedy in the ancient city of Luxor, but the new report was based on technical evidence.<\/p>\n
“The sole objective is to draw lessons from the accident and to prevent this from happening in the future,” said Captain Ayman El-Mokadem, head of aircraft accident investigation with Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority, who led the latest investigation.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t mention that it was a human error because the framework is a technical investigation, not a criminal one.”<\/p>\n
The report found that a faulty hose was the likely cause of a gas leak that led to an explosion, causing the balloon to catch fire and shoot up into the air, moments before it was due to land. “We only set up a probable cause, but we cannot put our finger in the face of somebody and say they are to blame,” El-Mokadem said.<\/p>\n
Investigators briefly interviewed the pilot of the ill-fated Sky Cruise balloon, Moman Mourad, in the hours after the accident while he was being treated for burns to 70 per cent of his body. This was followed by a more comprehensive interrogation when he was more stable.<\/p>\n
Investigators also analysed photos and video footage and spoke to eyewitnesses. The report was sent to relatives of the victims and to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department.<\/p>\n
It made a series of recommendations including more regular safety and maintenance checks.<\/p>\n
In September, relatives of the victims met security minister Lai Tung-kwok to push for a coroner’s inquest. Hong Kong investigators were not allowed to join the Egyptian investigation, despite a request.<\/p>\n
Bahaa Ahmed, a pilot with Magic Horizons, a hot-air balloon operator in Luxor, said business dropped 95 per cent last year. “We suffered a lot since the accident and also what’s going on in Egypt,” he said, referring to the country’s political turmoil. “We used to carry a lot of Chinese tourists, but not any more.”<\/p>\n
Ahmed said the findings would not impact on his business because staff already carried out more checks than required.<\/p>\n
Calls to Sky Cruises went unanswered yesterday. All operators were grounded after the accident but most are up and running again.<\/p>\n