Sunday 14 August 2005, eve of the 737th of August. At Larnaca airport, many families and relaxed tourists were preparing to leave for their vacation. The Boeing 121 aircraft of the Cypriot company "Helios", with 115 passengers (522 passengers and six crew members), departed to perform flight number XNUMX, from Larnaca to Prague, with a stopover in Athens. But he never reached his destination.
At 12:04 it crashed in Grammatiko, Attica, resulting in the tragic death of 115 passengers and six members of its crew.
14 years later, no one can forget the air tragedy, which marked Cypriot society in a decisive way. So 14 years later, Akrivos Tsolakis, who was the chairman of the Hellenic Aviation Accident Investigation Committee, spoke to Sigmalive, giving his own messages about the "Helios" plane crash.
Breaking down myths
Immediately after the tragedy, a lot of information began to be transmitted, which often reached the limits of the "myth". The answer to this information, according to Akrivos Tsolakis, is his conclusion, which was made public a few months after the plane crash.
Below are some of the facts, which were disputed but were answered through the reports that were in the conclusion:
1. The role of F-16 fighters
Asked about the role of F-16 fighters, Akrivos Tsolakis replied that "all I can tell you is that the planes just noticed the damage and nothing happened because the missing plane aimed at the coastal villages. "There was no reason to do anything to him because he was not threatening anything."
The report does not explicitly state that the aircraft had no external damage before the collision, while it was destroyed by it. More specifically, there is a report that after the interception by the Air Force aircraft, the pilot of the F16 reported that there was no damage to the Boeing 737. According to the data during the interception attempt, the F16 pilots had tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the Cabin Crew attention, using predefined signals and radio calls on emergency frequencies. When the left engine went out, fuel came out of it and the aircraft made a left turn and headed north. Then flight HCY 522 began to descend, following a northwest course. The aircraft then changed course and headed southwest, while the second engine of the aircraft began to shut down as they ran out of fuel, so it lost altitude abruptly. After that, the aircraft continued to descend with a very high degree and crashed into a hill in the area of Grammatiko.
2. The Governor-Co-Governor relations
The report contains extensive references to the cockpit and how they acted during the dramatic moments of Flight 522. The pilot of the flight was Hans Jürgen Merten, 59, of German descent. According to the testimonies of his colleagues, at a time when he was working for the "Sun", he had shown very formal behavior and his orders to the co-pilots were in a strict manner, however, later his behavior towards the crews had improved. The co-pilot was 51-year-old Pampos Charalambous, who had spent the day before the accident at his holiday home with his family. He returned home, had dinner (without alcohol) and went to bed at 23:00. He woke up early and went driving to the airport to perform the fatal flight. However, according to testimonies of a member of his family, he had repeatedly complained about the Governor, while he had complained about the structure of the company, the flight schedules and was looking for another job. It is emphasized that he did not take drugs or medicines and did not smoke or drink. In particular, the findings state that both had the necessary degrees and qualifications, while they were medically fit to perform the flight. According to the report, "although arteriosclerosis was found, the Hellenic Air Force Aviation Medicine Center ruled that cerebral hypoxia was the predominant and decisive cause of the inability to operate the aircraft." The finding sheds light on the first moments of its flights, where it states that about 13 minutes after take-off, the cockpit crew lost consciousness due to subordination, when its last communication in the corporate was recorded very often. At the same time, he clarifies that the "ethyl alcohol" 34 mg that was detected by the toxicological test in the tissues of the co-pilot of the aircraft may be due to ethanol production after death.
3. The action of the heroic caretaker, Andreas Prodromou
The conclusion records in a special way the shocking efforts of the flying caretaker, Andreas Prodromou, to enter the Governor's cabin. To confirm this effort, there are the "ringtones" recorded in the Cabinet Chat Recorder. According to reports shortly before the left engine was stopped, the F16 pilot noticed that a member of the Personal Passenger Cabin had entered the cockpit and was sitting in the pilot's seat, trying to take control of the aircraft. It is confirmed that he was a professional pilot. The man was not wearing an oxygen mask, while after turning off the left engine, due to fuel depletion, he tried to emit a MAYDAY alarm signal. In particular, in a visibly weakened voice he called for help. The cockpit speaker recorded: "Mayday, Mayday Mayday, Helios Airways flight 522 Athens…" and again "Mayday, Mayday…". At an altitude of about 7.000 feet, this person for the first time seems to confirm that he perceived the presence of warplanes, nodding his hand. However, the broadcast did not take place because the microphone button was not activated. Akrivos Tsolakis attributes this to a difficult performance due to the prevailing conditions of subordination and anxiety. And when the leader of his squad made the standard signal with his hand to follow him to the airport "Eleftherios Venizelos", the unfortunate caretaker signaled him with his thumb down.
4. The troubled past and the loud noises
The report records problems faced by the said aircraft of "Helios". Specifically, “on December 16, 2004 the plane of the accident was flying from Warsaw, Poland to Larnaca. Before landing in Larnaca, the aircraft showed rapid decompression. The Warning Siren sounded and the booth height increased rapidly. Passenger oxygen masks fell automatically. The cabin manager had reported to the Governor that a knock had been heard from the rear service door and that there was a large enough hole in the door seals, through which "one hand could fit". The flight continued normally to Larnaca but was given priority for landing. "Three passengers were admitted to Larnaca hospital with ear problems". Also not to be overlooked is the fact that there were nine entries for the Electronic Equipment Cooling System of the said vessel in the Technical Calendar, from 9 June to 13 August 2005. Also, on 13 August 2015, the Passenger Crew on a flight preceding the accident, which departed from London Heathrow Airport bound for Larnaca, noticed a problem in the rear right hand door. Specifically, there was talk of "loud knocks" and they demanded that the rear right service door be inspected. Upon arrival, the authorized Soil Engineer, according to the report, made the required inspections and did not have any remarks, writing literally "there were no leaks or natural sounds".
5. The fate of 121 passengers after the crash
After the tragedy, the mainly Greek press reported on the injured. On the other hand, the finding explicitly states: “Under the circumstances of the accident, the survival of the passengers and the crew was impossible. The bodies of the victims were retrieved from the wreckage of the aircraft by the firefighters of the Special Rescue Force of the Fire Brigade. "Most of the victims were tied to their seats, which due to the collision had come off the rails that hold them to the floor of the aircraft." In the chapter "Injuries to the face" there is no reference to injuries but to 121 confirmed deaths.
The message of Akrivos Tsolakis 14 years later
Speaking to Sigmalive, Akrivos Tsolakis stated that “this case ended many years ago. Bringing it to the surface again in 2019 is in my opinion a bit futile because all these years those who are interested have been silent. When I was called to speak, I spoke and said a few words. The case has been completed and measures have been taken by justice ". He pointed out that the causes of the tragedy are written in the report, have been identified and various corrections have been made by the manufacturer and the World Civil Aviation Authority, while he expressed his satisfaction since "what we wrote corrected some mistakes and today the planes are flying better and the same case to be repeated is excluded. It is impossible for a plane to crash for the same reasons ".
Asked what we should do to prevent this tragedy, he noted that some aviation safety recommendations were made, which were reviewed by the World Aviation Authority, found to be correct, implemented and flight safety promoted in this way.
Source: SigmaLive
