The Paris prosecutor's office has requested a general non-lieu, or dismissal, in the investigation into the 2016 crash of EgyptAir Flight MS 804 [1], [2].

This legal move effectively seeks to close the judicial proceedings a decade after the disaster, potentially ending the search for criminal liability regarding the loss of the aircraft.

The aircraft was traveling from Paris to Cairo in May 2016 when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea [1], [4]. The disaster resulted in 66 deaths, including 15 French citizens [1].

According to the Paris prosecutor's office, the investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a fire in the cockpit [3]. This fire was triggered by the meeting of an oxygen leak and an unknown heat source [3].

Authorities said that the inquiry did not establish any other causes for the crash [4]. Because no further evidence of criminal negligence or specific fault was found, the prosecutor's office requested the dismissal on May 14, 2026 [3], [4].

"The investigation did not allow for the characterization of any other cause," the Paris prosecutor's office said [4].

Families of the victims have expressed indignation regarding the request for dismissal [3]. The request follows years of judicial scrutiny into the technical failures that led to the aircraft's descent.

“The Paris prosecutor's office has requested a general non-lieu, or dismissal, in the investigation into the 2016 crash of EgyptAir Flight MS 804.”

The request for a general non-lieu indicates that French prosecutors believe there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against individuals or corporations. While the technical cause—an oxygen leak meeting a heat source—has been identified, the lack of a provable human or systemic crime means the case is unlikely to proceed to a trial, leaving the families of the victims without a judicial venue for accountability.