Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Egyptian authorities have launched a criminal investigation tied to the crash of an Egyptair Airbus A320 into the Mediterranean Sea in May after announcing on Thursday they had found traces of explosives on some of the recovered bodies, according to multiple news agencies.

 


The findings would appear to conflict with theories that an electrical fire triggered by a system failure might have caused the crew to lose control of the airplane while on a scheduled flight between Paris and Cairo. The pilots did not declare an emergency before the airplane turned 90 degrees to the left and then 360 degrees right before plummeting from 37,000 feet into the&nbsp;sea, killing all 66 passengers and crewmembers.&nbsp;

 


Information downloaded from the flight data recorder (FDR) retrieved from the wreckage had already confirmed the existence of smoke in the airplane’s lavatory and avionics bay before its rapid descent, according to Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry. The Egyptian authorities also reported that recovered wreckage of the front of the aircraft showed signs of high temperature damage and soot.

 


Those findings appeared consistent with ACARS data transmitted as the pilots apparently lost control of the airplane. The series of messages, sent over a period of three minutes, also relayed window sensor indications and problems with the autopilot and flight control&nbsp;system.

 


Egyptian aviation security practices have come under scrutiny since a Metrojet A321 crashed soon after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh on its way to St. Petersburg, Russia, in October last year, killing all 224 passengers and crewmembers. In that case, a faction of the ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the explosion that caused the airplane to disintegrate in midair. Less than three weeks later, Russian authorities concluded that, in fact, an explosive device did bring down the A321.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Egypt Launches Criminal Probe Tied to Egyptair Crash

Authorities reveal forensic investigators found traces of explosives on recovered bodies

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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