Deadly 2016 EgyptAir flight 'should have never taken off': France

The EgyptAir plane crash that killed all of its passengers on a 2016 Paris-Cairo flight should not have taken off, according to a report by the French Justice Ministry.

France’s Organisation of Safety Investigations (BEA) had commissioned an experts report on the deadly 2016 air crash which killed all 66 passengers on board which confirms a major technical fault on the plane that made the crash inevitable.

“The expertise shows that this aircraft should have been checked during the previous four flights and should not have left Cairo after the recurring defects, but it was not reported by successive crews,” the report said, initially published by French newspaper Le Parisien.

“The improper application of the procedures and instructions doesn’t allow EgyptAir to properly assess the technical condition of the aircraft at the time of departure from Charles-de-Gaulle,” they added.

The report noted a number of defects, including with the engine, the aircraft pressurisation system and the smoke detector -- vital problems that the pilots failed to record.

It had also speculated whether the Egyptian technician who allowed the flight to take-off in Paris was qualified to be in their post.

The investigation, which previously said a fire most likely caused the crash, is ongoing.