A few days ago, most were saying it’s too early to tell what brought down the Russian Airbus that crashed on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard.  Now, there’s talk of the aircraft being downed by a bomb.  

Why a bomb?  The best explanation comes an article written by former NTSB investigator Doug Herlihy, appearing in the Goldendale Sentinel:

First, it’s likely that the aircraft came apart in flight.

The pieces of aircraft and persons on board are being found spread over 20KM (over 15 miles) in the mountainous region of the southern Sinai. The spread of wreckage is the most critical piece of the accident puzzle.    

When aircraft break up in flight, the parts are spread by two phenomena: the “ballistics” of the pieces and the wind.  “Ballistics” refers to the shape and weight of the object (like bullets or feathers) and how they will fly to earth.  The second factor is the wind at various altitudes as the parts fall to earth.  Like tearing a pillow in the wind, the parts are widely spread.

Second, aircraft seldom blow up because of a defect lurking within.  History shows that they almost always blow up because of an outside force.

Rarely, have any system or fuel supply or tank ever exploded a modern airplane.  Jet aircraft jet fuel, like kerosene and diesel fuel is not prone to explosion.  And, though it is not uncommon for an airliner to be hit by lightning, it’s almost unheard of that it has caused an explosion. Investigators know that either an on-board bomb or a hit by an explosive device is very high on the list of clues to search for.