DATE=2/5/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=EGYPT/PILOT (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-258852 BYLINE=LISA BRYANT DATELINE=CAIRO CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Egypt says one of its pilots has sought asylum in Britain, claiming he has information about the crash of EgyptAir flight 990 off the east coast of the United States last October. But Lisa Bryant reports from Cairo that Egyptian officials are saying the pilot has no special knowledge of the crash. TEXT: EgyptAir Chairman Mohammed Fahim Rayyan has denied that pilot Hamdi Hanafi Taha has any information relating to the EgyptAir crash that killed 217 people. In remarks carried by Egypt's official Middle East News Agency, Chairman Rayyan also confirmed that the pilot had claimed asylum in Britain before landing his craft in London on Friday. A fax apparently sent by Captain Taha to a V-O-A correspondent on Friday said the captain was willing to meet representatives from (U-S) organizations when he arrived in London, at approximately 4:15 in the afternoon. These included the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and the F-B-I (Federal Bureau of Investigations). The fax said Captain Taha wanted to stop quote "all lies" about the EgyptAir crash. It called Chairman Rayyan quote "the bloody killer" -- apparently in reference to the air disaster. But MENA reported that Captain Taha was whisked away by British officials soon after he landed. The news agency quoted Egyptian officials as saying that the pilot apparently had some administrative and financial problems with EgyptAir, but insisted that he was liked and respected by his colleagues. Captain Taha reportedly made contact with British air traffic control during a regular flight to London on Friday. EgyptAir Captain Mohammed Salama -- who piloted the plane back to Egypt -- said that Captain Taha's conversation with British officials apparently took place while other pilots were away from the cockpit. Captain Taha was good friends with Captain Ahmed el Habashy, the pilot of Flight 990. In an interview with V-O-A, Mariafe Habashy, the pilot's widow, said that after the crash Captain Taha visited her, and helped her with errands and taking care of her son. In an earlier interview with V-O-A, Captain Taha also said he had been good friends with Gameel el Batouty, the copilot who apparently had control of the craft just before it plunged into the Atlantic. But Captain Taha said he had not seen Mr. el Batouty in years. Captain Taha had also discounted reports that Mr. el Batouty might have deliberately crashed Flight 990. But he contacted a reporter about a week ago saying he had information about the crash. He did not follow up on this, however. Captain Taha's wife told MENA that her husband had seemed distracted in recent weeks, but that she knew of no financial or other problems to justify his concern. (Signed) NEB/LB/ALW/JP 05-Feb-2000 08:20 AM EDT (05-Feb-2000 1320 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .