Family of EgyptAir Co-Pilot Sues Media

C A I R O, Egypt, Aug. 15, 2000 -- Relatives of a co-pilot of the EgyptAir plane that crashed off the U.S. coast last October are suing U.S. media over reports backing the theory that he brought the plane down deliberately, their lawyer said today.

Co-pilot Gamil El Batouty was among 217 people killed when EgyptAir Flight 990, heading for Cairo from New York, plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. There were no survivors.

“The case against ABC, CNN and USA Today is for compensation for damages and has been submitted to Egyptian courts. They will be informed in the United States through the diplomatic channels by the foreign ministry,” lawyer Esmat Abdel-Rahim told a news conference held by families of pilotswho died in the crash.

“What has been published is an intrusion into the life of El Batouty and an attempt to raise the psychological pressure on his family,” he said.

British Media Also Sued

El Batouty’s nephew Walid said the claim against USA Today would be for at least $30 million. Slander cases had already been filed against Britain’s Sunday Times and Newsweek magazine, he added.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said last week it had been unable to conclude what caused the Oct. 31 crash.

The NTSB’s 1,665-page assessment appeared to dismiss Egyptian theories of technical problems but did mention alleged lewd behavior by El Batouty, who has previously been linked in leaks from the investigation to a U.S. theory that a crew member deliberately crashed the plane.

The Egyptian Pilots’ Federation said Monday the NTSB should turn its inquiry over to a third party unless it released key evidence.

The federation wants access to radar images and to question an air traffic controller on duty at the time of the crash and three pilots from Germany, Jordan and Britain said to have seen missiles in the area where Flight 990 went down.