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Investigators had hoped that the voice recorder would shed light on what brought down the plane Oct. 31, killing 217 people, as it made its way from New York to Cairo. But after a review of the 31 and a half minutes of tape, the answers remain as elusive as before.

Hall said the NTSB is considering handing over the investigation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but would not say whether this was due to any new evidence of criminal activity.

"We are concentrating our efforts on determining from the evidence, including the cockpit voice recorder, whether or not this investigation is to remain under the leadership of the National Transportation Safety Board," Hall said.

He would not comment on the content of the black boxes, or on what prompted the board to call a press conference that delivered no new information.

Meanwhile, a team of linguistics experts with technical experience are reviewing the tape at an NTSB lab in Washington. They will translate the conversation from the pilots' native language, Arabic, into English and try to determine which of the various cockpit alarm sounds is recorded on the tape. Hall would not comment on the expected time line of their analysis, but he stressed his optimism that it would yield answers.

"Because of the quality and the extensive information contained on the flight data recorder, I am confident that many of the questions we have, you have and the individuals following this investigation around the world have, will be answered," he said.

The investigation team also includes representatives of Egypt, the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and the engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney. Hall bristled at a question about how much influence Boeing has over the investigation.

"For over 30 years, our agency has proudly and independently investigated accidents," he said. "We understand fully the important responsibilities that this investigation brings to the NTSB, as well as the importance of the independence of this investigation for all of the parties who have an interest in it."

If analysis of the black box data does not yield concrete explanations, recovery crews may have to return to the scene of the wreck. A search for more pieces of the Boeing 767 may be necessary in order to find out whether mechanical failure, a bomb or an intentional action by a crew member caused the plane to nosedive at a 40-degree angle into the Atlantic, plunging into the water southeast of Nantucket, Mass. If further salvage efforts are necessary, CNN reported Monday afternoon that sources close to the investigation said the Navy may contract private ships to recover more debris and human remains from the sea floor.

At each step, clues from the crash have only raised more questions and have done little to rule out any theory -- be it accident or sabotage. Officials from the FBI and NTSB stress that they have no evidence yet of criminal activity on the plane.

Late Friday Hall reported that data from the first black box recovered Wednesday indicated that the autopilot device had been switched off, and that the flight's descent had been "controlled." A warning signal went off during the descent, and then both engines were shut down. Hall also said control mechanisms in the plane's tail were split, with one going up and one down, indicating two pilots may have been fighting for control of the plane. This led to widespread media speculation that one of the pilots may have been suicidal.

The FBI has conducted interviews with EgyptAir staff and family members of the pilots, each of whom had recently passed mental and physical evaluations done by the airline. The Boston Herald reported last week that a crew member had placed an ominous call to his wife before takeoff, saying there was "something wrong with the plane," and that he was "very worried."

But Monday's Providence Journal quotes FBI spokesman Joe Valiquette saying, "The fact is, as of right now, two weeks after the crash, the FBI has not discovered anything among the crew members that would lead us to believe that a criminal or terrorist act has been committed."

The South China Morning Post reported Monday that EgyptAir officials are angry that the investigation has focused on the pilots' mental health, and that they believe black box data "points to sabotage." The report quotes Essam Ahmed, former head of EgyptAir's committee in charge of investigating crashes, as saying that the pilots were trained to glide an aircraft down if the engines stopped. Ahmed suggested the possibility that a bomb was planted in the toilet behind the cockpit, a scenario that the U.S. investigation has not ruled out.

The long-awaited second black box stumped investigators and analysts anew. An initial review of the conversation between the pilots seems to shoot down theories of pilot suicide, hijacking or an argument between the pilots. On Sunday evening, the Associated Press quoted a source close to the investigation saying that the pilot and co-pilot "talk like pals" and work together to try to fix a problem after an alarm goes off. Yet neither did evidence suggest a mechanical failure in the plane. The flight data recorder was sent to an NTSB lab in Washington for in-depth analysis. No theory has yet been ruled out.

Here's what the investigation has been able to piece together: Flight 990 climbed to its cruising altitude of 36,000 feet. The flight data recorder indicates that the flight went smoothly until the autopilot was switched off and the plane began to drop quickly at a sharp 40-degree angle. The descent was so rapid that passengers briefly experienced the feeling of weightlessness. An alarm began to sound, and the pilot and co-pilot began to deal with the problem, speaking in clipped, technical sentences.

Unfortunately for investigators, the pilots did not say what the problem was. The plane sank to an altitude of roughly 16,000 feet, then abruptly climbed to 24,000 feet, making it subject to 2.5 times the force of gravity. The cockpit tape cuts off seconds before the plane apparently stalled and plunged into the ocean.

Analysts with extensive aviation experience say no scenario explains all of the isolated clues about what happened to Flight 990.
salon.com | Nov. 15, 1999

Alicia Montgomery contributed to this report.

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