News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

American intelligence experts revealed a 'heat flash' was detected on satellite images at the same time and location that the Russian plane crashed.

Cockpit recordings also appear to suggest that an emergency situation occurred on the plane, but crew did not have time to respond before the plane went down.

Senior US defence officials said that American infrared satellites picked up a large heat flash over the Sinai at the moment the Metrojet flight 9268 crashed.

According to the analysts, the images they picked up completely rule out the possibility of a surface to air missile attack - but back up claims a bomb on board was exploded.

Speaking to the American news network NBC, the official said: "The speculation that this plane was brought down by a missile is off the table."

(Image: Barcroft Media) (Image: Barcroft Media)

The unnamed official said the satellite would have been able to pick up any heat trail from a missile, but there simply was none.

Instead, the satellite picked up a "flash or explosion" that occurred over the Sinai at the exact time the plane went down.

The official said "the plane disintegrated at a very high altitude," when "there was an explosion of some kind."

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

In the interview with NBC News, the official added "there is no evidence a missile of any kind brought down the plane."

It has also been reported that investigators have begun uncovering black box recordings from the cockpit - which appear to show an emergency situation unfolding.

According to reports, the cockpit recordings are said to have sounds "uncharacteristic" of a normal flight in the moments just before the plane came down.

It is claimed the recordings an emergency situation occurred and took the crew completely by surprise - not giving the pilot enough time to send out a distress signal.

The startling news comes a day after Metrojet officials revealed the doomed passenger jet crashed in Egypt because of "some kind of impact".

Speaking in a press conference yesterday morning, senior members of the airline said it was "impossible" for an Airbus plane to break up in the air because of a technical or pilot fault.

(Image: Barcroft Media) (Image: Barcroft Media)

In a hushed conference, specialists from the airline said that early evidence shows that the plane crashed due to "physical or mechanical action".

The group's director general, Alexander Snagovsky, said: "The only reasonable explanation is that it was [due to] external activity."

Alexander Smirnov, the deputy general director of Metrojet,added the crash "could only have been a mechanical impact on the plane" in the air.

When quizzed by reporters over claims by the Islamic State that the jihadist group had brought the plane down, one Mr Smirnov said: "You can't rule out anything."

He added that a video purportedly by the group that was circulating on the internet allegedly showing the crash was clearly "a fake".

Sources from the Egyptian investigation have also revealed the plane was not struck from outside.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Officials from the airline made the announcement as the investigation continues into what could have caused the tragic Russian passenger jet to crash.

Speaking to Russian reporters, representatives for the airline said that it appeared there was an external reason for the plane coming down.

In the press conference, the group also revealed that crew on board the doomed fight did not make contact with the ground over any problems during the flight.

(Image: Barcroft) (Image: Barcroft)

Early analysis of the black box suggests the captain did not issue a distress call in the moments before the plane crashed.

Andrei Averyanov, deputy general director for engineering at the airline, said a 2001 incident when the plane's tail section struck the tarmac on landing was fully repaired and could not have been a factor in the crash.

He said the aircraft's engines had undergone routine inspection in Moscow on 26 October which found no problems and he said in the five flights before the crash, the crew recorded no technical problems in the aircraft's log book.

(Image: Rex) (Image: Getty)

Oksana Golovina, a representative of the holding company that controls Kogalymavia, told the news conference the airline had experienced no financial problems which could have influenced flight safety.

The latest news came as the bodies of a number of victims of Flight KGL9268 arrived home in Russia yesterday.

Arriving on a cargo plane, the bodies were brought into St Petersburg from the crash site in the Sinai Peninsula.