Flash Airlines Flight 604
Flash Airlines Flight 604, a Boeing 737-300, was a flight from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to Paris, France, via Cairo. On January 3, 2004 the plane crashed into the Red Sea just moments after take-off at Sharm El Sheikh International Airport. All 135 passengers and 13 crew members on-board the plane died. The cause the crash remains disputed and suggested to be spatial disorientation from the Captain.
![]() SU-ZCF, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in March 2002 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 January 2004 |
| Summary | Loss of control and crash into sea after takeoff; cause disputed |
| Site | Red Sea near Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt 27°50′N 34°23′E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-3Q8 |
| Aircraft name | Nour |
| Operator | Flash Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | 7K604 |
| ICAO flight No. | FSH604 |
| Call sign | FLASH 604 |
| Registration | SU-ZCF |
| Flight origin | Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt |
| Stopover | Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt |
| Destination | Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France |
| Occupants | 148 |
| Passengers | 135 |
| Crew | 13 |
| Fatalities | 148 (all) |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The crash remains Egypt's deadliest air-disaster, until the bombing of Kogalymavia Flight 9268, with 224 deaths. The crash is also the worst crash of a Boeing 737-300.
Passengers
Most of the passengers aboard the flight were French tourists from the Paris metropolitan area. A provisional passenger list, dated 5 January 2004, stated that twelve entire French families had boarded the flight.[1]
| Passenger and crew countries of origin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Passengers | Crew | Total |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 12 | 12 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 132 | 0 | 132 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 135 | 13 | 148 |
References
- Lichfield, John (5 January 2004). "Twelve entire families named among Red Sea crash victims as Swiss reveal airline safety fears". The Independent. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
