Helios Airways – plane crash – 121 died (2)

By Vivian Papastefanou

A Cypriot airliner with 115 passengers and a six-member crew on board crashed shortly after 12pm in an inaccessible area 2 kilometres off Grammatikos north-east of Athens. The plane, which was en route from Larnaca in Cyprus to Prague with a stopover at Athens, was to land at Athens international airport at 12:20 pm. As soon as Eleftherios Venizelos control tower lost contact with the plane, two Greek F16 fighter jets immediately took off and located the plane flying over the island of Kea. The pilots of the fighter jets kept calling the Cypriot plane, but there was no response. The F-16 pilots also said the co-pilot was not in the cockpit, and the pilot seemed unconscious. It was also made known that shortly after its takeoff the plane was experiencing air-conditioning problems. Rescue teams, ambulances and fire engines have rushed on the site. Earlier, the mayor of the town of Grammatikos told NET that there was a rekindling at the tragedy scene and that the strong gales prevent the putting out of the fire.

Violent Crash

As per flash evidence, the crash is due to mechanical failure, thus ruling out the likelihood of hijacking.

Cypriot Transport Minister confirmed that the plane had presented cabin pressure problems in the past and therefore it had stopped operating for quite some time.

The president of the committee that investigates plane crashes, Akrivos Tsolakis, said a failure in the air-conditioning system is highly probable and voiced his belief that the cabin might experience a sharp pressure loss.

The majority of the people on board were Greek-Cypriots, while the list with the names of passengers and crewmembers will be made public as soon as their relatives are informed. Public Order Ministry sources reported that 59 grown-ups and eight children were to get off at Athens airport, while 46 grown-ups and two children were heading for Prague.

Eyewitness Giannis Peppas, an Olympic Airways employee, told NET television that the crash was violent and its debris have been scattered everywhere and he deemed that there are no survivors