The pilot of the Libyan airliner that crashed with the loss of 103 lives reported no technical problems before this week8217;s accident,the head of the commission of inquiry said today.
8220;The pilot did not report any problems. Until the very last moment things were normal between the pilot and the control tower8221; at Tripoli airport before Wednesday8217;s early morning disaster,Neji Dhaou told AFP.
8220;What I can confirm for now is that the aircraft struck the ground before reaching the runway,8221; he said,adding that the investigators 8220;have ruled out nothing for the moment.8221;
The inquiry team is made up of Libyan and South African officials,as well as two French experts,five more from manufacturer Airbus and two observers from the Netherlands.
Officials said 103 people were killed in the crash of the Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 flight from Johannesburg in South Africa. There was one survivor,a nine-year-old Dutch boy.
Aviation experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board are due to join the inquiry later today 8220;because the engines and navigation system are American-made,8221; Dhaou said.