Wife of Welsh victim thanks Mark Layton for helping bring closure after years of delay

A PEMBROKESHIRE-based senior coroner has been praised by the family of a Welsh man who died in the EgyptAir Flight MS804 disaster, following the conclusion of a long-awaited inquest into the tragedy which claimed 66 lives.

Richard Osman, originally from Wales, was among the 56 passengers and 10 crew members onboard an Airbus A320 that vanished from radar in the early hours of 19 May 2016, while flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Cairo International Airport.

The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, around 290km north of Alexandria, Egypt. There were no survivors.

Initial reports suggested the aircraft may have been brought down by a terrorist attack. However, after years of international investigations, those claims have been strongly disputed.

The inquest into Mr Osman’s death, held in Wales and led by Senior Coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, Mr Mark Layton, concluded that Richard died following a fire onboard, likely sparked by an ignition source in or around the First Officer’s oxygen supply system.

Aviation expert Ken Fairbank, who gave evidence to the inquest, stated the fire likely began in the cockpit and spread rapidly, overwhelming the flight crew and leading to a catastrophic loss of control. The fire was described as so intense that it left the crew unable to respond or maintain control of the aircraft.

Mr Layton concluded that Mr Osman died as a result of an accident, caused by the onboard fire, and commended the thoroughness of the expert evidence.

Mr Osman’s wife, Aurélie Vandeputte, expressed heartfelt thanks to the coroner, saying:
“I am immensely grateful to Senior Coroner Mr Mark Layton, who throughout those many years has remained committed to our journey for truth and helping me, our daughters and Richard’s wider family and friends find closure through the inquest process.”

She also thanked the Welsh authorities for their continued support throughout what she described as “years of chaos,” marked by a lack of communication, delays, and the mishandling of victims’ remains.

Despite international aviation protocols requiring the publication of a final report within 12 months of an accident—or interim reports each year—Egyptian authorities failed to meet these obligations. The final report was only published more than eight years after the crash, and only after significant international pressure.

The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) and Mr Fairbank both dismissed Egyptian claims that the aircraft had been brought down by an explosive device, stating instead that no evidence of an explosion was found and that the fire was the most likely cause.

Mr Layton is now expected to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report, raising concerns over the delays and failures in the international investigation process.

Peter Neenan, a lawyer representing Mr Osman’s family, described the eight-year delay in publishing a final report as “unforgivable,” and said it had caused additional and unnecessary suffering to all the families involved.