Russian plane crash: Midair heat flash detected before disaster
(CNN)A
midair heat flash from Metrojet Flight 9268 was detected by a U.S.
military satellite before the plane crashed Saturday in Egypt's Sinai
Peninsula, a U.S. official told CNN.
Intelligence
analysis has ruled out that the Russian commercial airplane was struck
by a missile, but the new information suggests that there was a
catastrophic in-flight event -- including possibly a bomb, though
experts are considering other explanations, according to U.S. officials.
21 photos: Russian plane crashes in Egypt
There are a wide range of theories on what made the passenger jet plunge to the ground, killing all 224 people on board, but Russian officials say it's too soon to speculate on the cause.
Aviation
experts agree, and officials have downplayed an apparent claim by
Islamic militants that they brought down the Airbus A321-200, saying
technical failure is the most likely reason for the crash.
Here's the latest on what we know:
