Here are some interesting new developments reported by the Cyprus Mail this morning.
Cyprus ‘blamed’ for Helios crash
By By Elias Hazou
Leaked report cites Civil Aviation failings, Helios maintenance and human error
A US FEDERAL Aviation report commissioned by the government reportedly points the finger at Cyprus’ Civil Aviation authorities with regard to the Helios Airways disaster last August that claimed the lives of all 121 people onboard.
News of the report, described as “top secret,” was broken yesterday by Greek daily To Vima. According to the paper’s sources, the FAA found fault with the Cypriot Civil Aviation Agency for inadequate checks on the airline prior to the crash.
The very existence of the FAA’s probe came as a surprise; but in the wake of the revelation yesterday, commentators said it tied in with the government’s pledge last year to seek the help of American experts.
The main investigation, under Greece’s chief air investigator Akrivos Tsolakis, is nearing completion and should be made public by summer, the latest information suggests.
The FAA report is said to be particularly damning of both Cypriot Civil Aviation authorities and Helios Airways. According to To Vima, it draws attention to the airline’s “problematic maintenance team” and mentions the now-famous issue of the decompression switch.
It is believed that before the doomed flight, maintenance crew who had conducted a pressurisation check left the control in manual instead of automatic, so the aircraft did not pressurise as it gained altitude. But the crew failed to notice the setting in their pre-take-off checks, and the post-take-off checks require no further confirmation of the pressurisation control selection.
In the case of Helios flight ZU-522, this was further compounded by the fact that the pressurisation warning alarm on the Boeing 737-200 emits the same sound used to alert pilots of improper takeoff and landing configurations. It is now thought the pilots’ confusion was worsened still by the fact that the very danger being warned of – low cabin air pressure – would have already impaired cognitive functions.
Citing its sources, the Greek paper said co-pilot Pambos Charalambous was the first to lose consciousness in the cockpit, presumably due to the onset of hypoxia, or low oxygen in the blood.
In short, the above scenario—assuming it’s true—would confirm experts’ initial assessment that the accident was a combination of human error and technological failure.
In its Airline safety review 2005 published this January, Flight International said:
“The Helios 737-300 that crashed in Greece was one of the intermediate generation of jets, with a part digital, part electro-mechanical flightdeck.
“This configuration, however, seems unlikely to be relevant to the accident cause. Early reports from the investigator suggest the accident sequence began when the flightcrew failed to set the pressurisation controls correctly during pre-start checks, and this omission was compounded by their failure to recognise warnings that the cabin was not pressurising as the aircraft climbed.
“Chief investigator Akrivos Tsolakis looks likely to comment, however, on the fact that many other incidents of failure to pressurise have occurred in 737s, but in those cases crews recognised the warnings in time.”
But the FAA’s findings went a step further, apparently exonerating Helios’ former chief engineer—a British national. Alan Irwin had been employed by the airline on a short-term contract, but shortly after the crash, reports emerged that he was at loggerheads with the company over the cause of the disaster.
Irwin is thought to be the last person to have spoken to the flight crew.
To Vima said yesterday that chief investigator Tsolakis had incorporated all or most of the FAA’s conclusions in his own probe.
The leaked FAA report takes matters in a new direction, somewhat deflecting attention away from Boeing, which is being sued in the United States by relatives of the victims.
The families and friends of the deceased hold the aircraft manufacturer at least partly liable, arguing that disaster could have been avoided had Boeing taken steps to eradicate the confusion over the decompression warning.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005