EgyptAir 990: The Crash That Gave Bin Laden the Idea for 9/11 – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World

An EgyptAir 767 fell out of a clear sky off Nantucket in 1999, and two governments read the same black boxes and reached opposite verdicts. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli weigh four theories and one Arabic prayer.

https://youtu.be/Z3w4DwoLFww

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

Please spread the word about the podcast. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
Join the conversation at the Starquest Facebook page and the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
Be part of the StarQuest Discord community at SQPN.com/discord
Send your feedback or comments to feedback@mysterious.fm or send a tweet to @mys_world
You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515

Chapters:

0:00:12 – Intro
0:00:42 – The Setup: A Clear Night Over the Atlantic
0:01:40 – Jimmy’s Connection to the Story
0:03:05 – The Airplane: A Boeing 767 Named Tutmose III
0:04:38 – EgyptAir’s Safety Record
0:05:12 – What the News Knew That First Day
0:07:04 – Vanished From the Radar
0:07:59 – Three Cities Waiting
0:09:57 – Where the Flight Came From
0:10:59 – The Weather That Night
0:11:11 – The Search and the Cold Water
0:13:09 – A Recovery, Not a Rescue
0:14:41 – The Black Boxes Come Up
0:15:05 – Who Was on Board
0:18:11 – Who Was Flying the Plane
0:18:56 – The Investigation and the Two Recorders
0:20:18 – Why the Translation Mattered
0:21:32 – The Investigation Takes a Turn
0:23:30 – Washington and Cairo Collide
0:25:54 – "I Rely on God": The Phrase at the Center
0:27:51 – Thank you to Patrons
0:28:24 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
0:28:42 – Sponsor: In Time by Robert Young
0:29:37 – Sponsorship Opportunities
0:30:21 – Theories: Four Explanations
0:31:07 – Reason Perspective: What the Recorder Showed
0:34:26 – Theory 1: An Evasive Maneuver
0:35:25 – Theory 2: A Bomb
0:36:34 – Theory 3: Mechanical Failure
0:38:32 – Theory 4: A Deliberate Act, Egypt’s Case
0:40:21 – Cross-Examining the Deliberate-Act Theory
0:42:15 – Was This Terrorism?
0:42:53 – A Possible Motive
0:46:00 – How Certain Is the Theory?
0:47:12 – The Legacy of Flight 990
0:47:55 – The September 11th Connection
0:49:33 – Did Flight 990 Cause 9/11?
0:50:21 – Faith Perspective
0:50:55 – Bottom Line
0:51:51 – Further Resources
0:52:20 – Mysterious Feedback: #423 Mel’s Hole
0:59:37 – Your mysterious feedback
1:00:12 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
1:00:27 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
1:01:00 – Next Time: Veridical Near-Death Experiences
1:01:19 – Get your Mysterious merch
1:01:34 – Show notes
1:01:42 – Become a Patron
1:01:50 – Sponsor: Gravetending Solutions
1:02:28 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
1:02:52 – Outro

This Episode is Brought to You By:

Rosary Army. Featuring award-winning Catholic podcasts, Rosary resources, videos, and the School of Mary online community, prayer, and learning platform. Learn how to make them, pray them, and give them away while growing in your faith at RosaryArmy.com and SchoolOfMary.com

The Grady Group, a Catholic company bringing financial clarity to their clients across the United States. Using safe money options to produce reasonable rates of return for their clients. Learn more by visiting GradyGroup.us.

Robert Young’s novel In Time. If you enjoy stories that explore the intersection of faith, mystery, and the unseen forces shaping our lives, you’ll want to check out this gripping speculative thriller. In Time follows a troubled pilot drawn into a secret project that challenges everything he thought he knew about science, reality, and even God. Blending high-stakes adventure with spiritual themes like repentance, providence, and the battle between despair and hope, it’s a story about second chances—and the consequences of the choices we make. Get your copy now at sqpn.com/intime.

Grave Tending Solutions. Grave tending is a professional service and apostolate that brings peace of mind to families by caring for established gravesites. Distance and physical limitations can create barriers to maintaining a loved one’s final resting place. From planting graveside gardens to cleaning headstones, a grave tending professional provides a way for their clients to continue to care for and honor their loved ones. If you’re interested in learning more about grave tending, either as a client or as someone who’d like to enter the profession, please visit GraveTendingSolutions.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.