An EgyptAir plane crash nearly a decade ago which killed 66 people, including a British man, was caused by oxygen fire, a coroner has ruled.
Richard Osman, who grew up in Carmarthen, West Wales, died alongside 65 others when flight MS804 disappeared over the Mediterranean in May 2016.
At an inquest on Friday, the coroner rejected a report by an Egyptian investigator suggesting there had been a deliberate explosion onboard.
Mark Layton, coroner for Carmarthenshire, instead agreed with a British expert who believed a fire had broken out on the aircraft, possibly fuelled by a leak at an oxygen mask in the cockpit.
Addressing the nine-year wait for an inquest, the coroner said it had been significantly delayed while they waited for all the evidence to be presented.
The 40-year-old geologist’s flight, from Paris to Cairo, went missing after entering Greek airspace.
The inquest heard the fire would have spread quickly before the crash, as the aircraft could not be controlled.
Of the 59 passengers, two flight crew and five cabin attendants on board, there were no survivors.
Mr Osman’s widow, Aurelie Vandeputte, described him as “loved and appreciated” by his family, including his two children, friends and colleagues.
Recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Layton said: “Richard Osman was a passenger of a commercial flight MS804, travelling from Paris to Cairo, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on 19 May 2016.
“Following a fire on board caused by an ignition source of unknown origin, most likely associated with the first officer’s oxygen supply system, which either resulted from, or was fed by, an oxygen leak.”
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Mr Layton shared his “heartfelt condolences” with Mr Osman’s family and thanked Ms Vandeputte for her “patience and understanding over the many, many years it has taken to reach this stage”.
He confirmed he would write a prevention of future deaths report to look at how such a tragedy might be avoided in future.
