Oxygen leak led to ‘uncontrollable’ plane crash that killed Welshman

Flames fuelled by an oxygen leak “took hold” of an aircraft resulting in an “uncontrollable” plane crash, an inquest has heard.

Welsh geologist Richard Osman, 40, from Carmarthen, was on EgyptAir flight MS804 when it crashed on the evening of 18 May 2016 killing 66 people.

The court heard Mr Osman was on a business trip at the time on the flight, which was travelling from Paris to Cairo.

Assistant coroner Mark Layton said Mr Osman died following the fire caused by an “ignition source” most likely associated with the “first officer’s oxygen supply system”.

At the inquest, Mr Leyton outline his safety concerns following the plane crash.

The people on board the plane were made up of 59 passengers, two flight crew and five cabin attendants. There were no survivors.

The coroner said he “wanted answers” regarding cockpit fires, smoke procedures and the effectiveness of fire extinguishers.

The coroner called for a review of the regulations to “prevent the use of cigarettes in the cockpit and related flammable items”.

He recorded a narrative conclusion and has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report.

The report has been sent to the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Department for Transport.

Mr Osman was working and living in Jersey, with his wife Aurelie Vandeputte and their two young daughters, at the time of his death.

At the inquest Ms Vandeputte described her husband as a “charismatic yet humble young man”.

Ms Vandeputte said he loved rugby and was “proud of his Welsh-Egyptian background”.