"The pilot did not report any problems. Until the very last moment things were normal between the pilot and the control tower" at Tripoli airport before Wednesday's early morning disaster, Neji Dhaou said.

"What I can confirm for now is that the aircraft struck the ground before reaching the runway," he said, adding that the investigators "have ruled out nothing for the moment."

The inquiry team is made up of Libyan and South African officials, as well as two French experts, five more from manufacturer Airbus and two observers from the Netherlands.

Authorities said the Dutch boy who is the sole survivor of the crash may be flown home to the Netherlands as early as Saturday. Rescuers found nine-year-old Ruben van Assouw still strapped in his seat and breathing in an area of desert sand strewn with the plane's debris. His father, mother and 11-year-old brother are believed to have been among the dead.