And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, terror or catastrophic malfunction? Investigators at this hour pouring over the wreckage of Metrojet Flight 9268 and the plane's black boxes. They are trying to figure out if terrorists attacked the airbus jumbo jet killing 217 passengers and a crew of seven. An ISIS linked group claims responsibility for shooting down the plane and says it got the video to prove it. Now, the plane took off from a popular resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. It's a luxury destination in the region where ISIS linked groups says successfully attacked Egyptian military forces. The plane's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, the so-called black boxes have both been found, they are being analyzed as I speak. And we're also learning more about an incident years ago with the plane's tail but investigators are focusing on as possibly relevant to a sudden and massive possible mechanical malfunction.
We have every angle of the story covered. We begin with Arwa Damon OUTFRONT tonight in Cairo. Now, Arwa, we know the flight crew did not send a distress call. What are officials saying tonight about the possibility of terrorism?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT:
Well, at this stage, Erin, all officials are pretty much ruling out the idea that the plane was shot down. As to whether or not this may have been a terrorist attack, that is not being dismissed at this stage but there is no evidence that indicate that it was an act of terrorism. All of that being said, there is also no clear explanation as to what brought that plane down.
DAMON (voice-over):
The mystery of what brought down a Russian passenger jet, killing all 224 people on board, including at least 25 children, has only deepened. The only thing international investigators seem to agree on is that the airbus a-321, operated by the Russian airline Metrojet, broke apart in the sky, disintegrating just 23 minutes after takeoff from Egypt's Sharm El-Sheik airport headed for St. Petersburg. Radar information indicates that at that point early Saturday, the plane lost speed and descended rapidly. Wreckage spreading over an eight square-mile area in the Sinai desert. The plane's black boxes have been recovered but not yet fully examined. Airline officials say there was no warning from the crew and offered only a broad explanation as to what may have happened.
ALEXANDER SMIRNOV, AIRLINE OFFICIAL (through a translator):
The only reason I could explain the plane's breaking up in the midair can be a certain influence purely technical mechanical impact.
DAMON:
The question all are asking, could ISIS have shot down the plane or was there a bomb on board? Tonight, at least five airlines are rerouting their planes to avoid the Sinai region. U.S. Intelligence officials say, it's too soon to know if terrorism was involved.
JAMES CLAPPER, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
It's unlikely but I wouldn't rule it out. We don't have any direct evidence of any terrorist involvement yet.
DAMON:
An ISIS affiliate is claiming responsibility. However, the terror group most advanced surface-to-air weapons are believed to shoulder-fired missiles.
PETER GOELZ, AVIATION EXPERT:
Shoulder-fired missiles really have an effective range of somewhere between 12 and 16,000 feet at the max. This plane was up at 33,000 feet.
DAMON:
Initial examination of the wreckage and victims fail to find any evidence consistent with a bomb. Records show that the plane was 18 years old and had logged nearly 21,000 flights while it passed a routine safety check prior to takeoff, the plane's tail had been damaged in a 2001 landing and repaired.
And Erin, the co-pilot's ex-wife said that he had spoken to their daughter just before departing. According to her, he said that he was expressing his wishes that the plane was in better technical condition. That being said, airline officials were very quick to say that the plane, that passenger jet was in pristine condition, all of this of course raising a lot more questions as people search for answers -- Erin.
[19:05:06] BURNETT:
All right. Thank you very much, Arwa Damon.
