Helios Crash
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waiting for more facts . . . . . .
Pity, that link seems to be more about the Cyprus weather !
Also, in another thread started today, it says only 4 to be charged.
Rain and snow, but lot more needed to ease the drought
Also, in another thread started today, it says only 4 to be charged.
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oh, the shame . . . .
It doesn't say that at all
Also, in another thread started today, it says only: "4 to be charged"
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Five to be Charged
Five face manslaughter charges over Helios crash
By Elias Hazou
FIVE people face charges of manslaughter and of reckless and wanton endangerment that caused the death of 121 people aboard a Cypriot commercial airliner more than three years ago.
The suspects are all former members of now-defunct Helios Airways, operators of the doomed jet.
“The charges concern two of the gravest offenses in criminal law,” deputy Attorney-general Akis Papasavvas told reporters yesterday after revealing that the bill of indictment had been filed with the Nicosia district court.
“The charges are manslaughter, and causing death through a reckless, careless and dangerous act.”
Papasavvas declined to name the suspects, saying it would be “unethical” to do so before the charge sheets were actually served.
This should be done over the next few days, he said.
“Be patient. All we can say at this point is that both charges apply to all five suspects,” he told the Mail later in the day.
Reports say the charge sheet is massive, and that it contains hundreds of separate indictments levelled against the five.
Under Cyprus law, a person found guilty of reckless endangerment leading to death faces a sentence of up to four years in jail; the maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.
Papasavvas said the suspects had until February 26 (3pm) to appear before court and answer the charges – effectively to enter a plea.
“The ball is now in the court of the justice system,” said Papasavvas.
The deputy AG declined also to say whether any of the suspects posed a flight risk.
“Hypothetically speaking – and I stress that – if this were the case, there are ways around it, such as through issuing a European arrest warrant. Again, this is hypothetical, in response to your question,” said Papasavvas.
It has been three-and-a-half years since a Boeing 737 operated by Helios Airways smashed into a ravine 40km outside Athens, killing all 121 people on board. The subsequent accident probe blamed pilot error primarily, but also cited as latent, or underlying, reasons the organisational shortcomings within the airline as well as Civil Aviation.
A similar judicial investigation is underway in Greece – the site of the accident – where earlier this year an Athens prosecutor charged six people with manslaughter. Reports at the time said the suspects were two Britons, one Bulgarian national and three Cypriots.
Yesterday’s news was greeted with measured satisfaction by the friends and families of the air crash victims.
“We have waited three-and-a-half years for blame to be apportioned… but at least it’s a positive step forward,” said Nicolas Yiasoumi, a spokesman for the bereaved relatives.
“At long last, someone is facing the dock. But for us, going before a court is not enough. When the court punishes the guilty, that will be justice. We believe that 121 people were murdered in the air,” he added.
The relatives have meanwhile filed a class-action suit against the government – specifically the Department of Civil Aviation – for negligence that led to the air disaster. They claim that the DCA was turning a blind eye to airlines’ loose enforcement of regulations, and that in general the department cut corners when it came to flight safety.
Neither the criminal nor the civil trials are expected to end any time soon and, if the Cypriot justice system is anything to go by, the cases could drag on for years.
What is reckless endangerment?
A person commits the crime of reckless endangerment if he or she recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. “Reckless” conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved. The accused need not intentionally cause a resulting harm or know that his conduct is substantially certain to cause that result. The ultimate question is whether, under all the circumstances, the accused’s conduct was of that heedless nature that made it actually or imminently dangerous to the rights or safety of others.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008
from this link
By Elias Hazou
FIVE people face charges of manslaughter and of reckless and wanton endangerment that caused the death of 121 people aboard a Cypriot commercial airliner more than three years ago.
The suspects are all former members of now-defunct Helios Airways, operators of the doomed jet.
“The charges concern two of the gravest offenses in criminal law,” deputy Attorney-general Akis Papasavvas told reporters yesterday after revealing that the bill of indictment had been filed with the Nicosia district court.
“The charges are manslaughter, and causing death through a reckless, careless and dangerous act.”
Papasavvas declined to name the suspects, saying it would be “unethical” to do so before the charge sheets were actually served.
This should be done over the next few days, he said.
“Be patient. All we can say at this point is that both charges apply to all five suspects,” he told the Mail later in the day.
Reports say the charge sheet is massive, and that it contains hundreds of separate indictments levelled against the five.
Under Cyprus law, a person found guilty of reckless endangerment leading to death faces a sentence of up to four years in jail; the maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.
Papasavvas said the suspects had until February 26 (3pm) to appear before court and answer the charges – effectively to enter a plea.
“The ball is now in the court of the justice system,” said Papasavvas.
The deputy AG declined also to say whether any of the suspects posed a flight risk.
“Hypothetically speaking – and I stress that – if this were the case, there are ways around it, such as through issuing a European arrest warrant. Again, this is hypothetical, in response to your question,” said Papasavvas.
It has been three-and-a-half years since a Boeing 737 operated by Helios Airways smashed into a ravine 40km outside Athens, killing all 121 people on board. The subsequent accident probe blamed pilot error primarily, but also cited as latent, or underlying, reasons the organisational shortcomings within the airline as well as Civil Aviation.
A similar judicial investigation is underway in Greece – the site of the accident – where earlier this year an Athens prosecutor charged six people with manslaughter. Reports at the time said the suspects were two Britons, one Bulgarian national and three Cypriots.
Yesterday’s news was greeted with measured satisfaction by the friends and families of the air crash victims.
“We have waited three-and-a-half years for blame to be apportioned… but at least it’s a positive step forward,” said Nicolas Yiasoumi, a spokesman for the bereaved relatives.
“At long last, someone is facing the dock. But for us, going before a court is not enough. When the court punishes the guilty, that will be justice. We believe that 121 people were murdered in the air,” he added.
The relatives have meanwhile filed a class-action suit against the government – specifically the Department of Civil Aviation – for negligence that led to the air disaster. They claim that the DCA was turning a blind eye to airlines’ loose enforcement of regulations, and that in general the department cut corners when it came to flight safety.
Neither the criminal nor the civil trials are expected to end any time soon and, if the Cypriot justice system is anything to go by, the cases could drag on for years.
What is reckless endangerment?
A person commits the crime of reckless endangerment if he or she recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. “Reckless” conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved. The accused need not intentionally cause a resulting harm or know that his conduct is substantially certain to cause that result. The ultimate question is whether, under all the circumstances, the accused’s conduct was of that heedless nature that made it actually or imminently dangerous to the rights or safety of others.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008
from this link
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The Five
The Hellenic language paper Politis gives the names of the five:
Andreas Drakou
Demetris Pantazis
George Kikkedes
Ianko Stomenov
and the fifth is the company itself - Helios Airways.
Andreas Drakou
Demetris Pantazis
George Kikkedes
Ianko Stomenov
and the fifth is the company itself - Helios Airways.
Last edited by airsnoop; 24th Dec 2008 at 13:20. Reason: Typo
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Helios accident
As reported by the national TV stations RIK1 and MEGA during their tonight's news at 8:
1. Andreas DRAKOU, executive chairman of board of directors of Helios.
2. Alpha Jet Aviation Ltd previous Helios Airways Ltd, Limassol.
3. Dimitri PANTAZI, accountable manager of Helios, Nicosia.
4. Giorgos KIKIDIS, flight operations mgr, Devon.
5. Lanko STOIMENOV, chief pilot of Helios, Larnaca.
1. Andreas DRAKOU, executive chairman of board of directors of Helios.
2. Alpha Jet Aviation Ltd previous Helios Airways Ltd, Limassol.
3. Dimitri PANTAZI, accountable manager of Helios, Nicosia.
4. Giorgos KIKIDIS, flight operations mgr, Devon.
5. Lanko STOIMENOV, chief pilot of Helios, Larnaca.
Last edited by gdionas; 24th Dec 2008 at 18:52. Reason: change details
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A recent FAA AD urged Boeing yet again to do something about the Cabin Altitude Warning which is still being misidentified by flight crews - also see the comment in Flight International 18 - 24 Nov.
The UK CAA did audit the airline under contract and were satisfied that Helios Airways was in compliance JAROPS at the time of the accident and recommended continuance of the AOC. The AAI&ASB Report Findings identified no shortcomings with the Aircraft or crew.
Regulators don't come much better than UK CAA and if they say it was OK, that's fine by me
The UK CAA did audit the airline under contract and were satisfied that Helios Airways was in compliance JAROPS at the time of the accident and recommended continuance of the AOC. The AAI&ASB Report Findings identified no shortcomings with the Aircraft or crew.
Regulators don't come much better than UK CAA and if they say it was OK, that's fine by me
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You can see the AD here --> Boeing Model 737 Airplanes
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Boeing has already done the work and taken the simple but effective expedient of adding a Cabin Altitude caution, but for some reason I don't understand, it has not been yet implimented.
The most telling part of the AD is:
"Unsafe Condition
(d) This AD results from continuing reports that flightcrews have failed to recognize and react properly to the cabin altitude warning horn. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the flightcrew to recognize and react to a valid cabin altitude warning horn, which could result in incapacitation of the flightcrew due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen in body) and consequent loss of
airplane control."
Writing a procedure should only be a temporary fix for a design weakness, so let's stop procrastinating and get the light in before it happens again.
After 50 years in the business as a driver airframes and 25 of those as an accident investigator, can I appeal to the Greeks and the Cypriots, and now the Spanish, to drop the blamefest and let the professionals get on with the business of Air Safety.
Can I also appeal to organisations such as ICAO-ISASI-FSF to stand up and be counted, your silence is deafening!
That's it, I'll wind my neck in - to all in "the business" have a happy and safe 2009
The most telling part of the AD is:
"Unsafe Condition
(d) This AD results from continuing reports that flightcrews have failed to recognize and react properly to the cabin altitude warning horn. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the flightcrew to recognize and react to a valid cabin altitude warning horn, which could result in incapacitation of the flightcrew due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen in body) and consequent loss of
airplane control."
Writing a procedure should only be a temporary fix for a design weakness, so let's stop procrastinating and get the light in before it happens again.
After 50 years in the business as a driver airframes and 25 of those as an accident investigator, can I appeal to the Greeks and the Cypriots, and now the Spanish, to drop the blamefest and let the professionals get on with the business of Air Safety.
Can I also appeal to organisations such as ICAO-ISASI-FSF to stand up and be counted, your silence is deafening!
That's it, I'll wind my neck in - to all in "the business" have a happy and safe 2009
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Helios Accident.
The five people involved are the company's post holders and these are:
- Andreas Drakos- Helios Manager Director (and owner)
- Dimitris Pantazis - Accountable Manager
- George Kikidis - Flight Operations Manager
- Ianko Stoimerov- Chief Pilot
- The Board of Directors of Helios Company.
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The report cites company malaise in its list of indirect causes.Very hard to prove.Only thing I can come up with would be:
a)a failure to disseminate the data from the Aer Lingus/Ryanair incidents prior 522 which seemed to prove that flight crew can be confused by Boeings intermittent horn.In particular,the importance of direct intervention from the cabin when a climb is continued with masks deployed.If this information had been disseminated and the lessons learnt incorporated into CRM classes then the FA's of 522 would have had a precedent on which to base their actions.
b)Possible(ie.rumored only)failure to prevent the 2 flight crew members from operating together when there was reasonable justification to do so.
Both (a) and (b) are the repsonsibility of the CP.Does it make him responsible for the crash?No.Was failure to do (a) or(b) reckless endangerment?No.
The report says it quite clearly;this was flight-crew error.They paid for it with their lives.We should leave it at that.
a)a failure to disseminate the data from the Aer Lingus/Ryanair incidents prior 522 which seemed to prove that flight crew can be confused by Boeings intermittent horn.In particular,the importance of direct intervention from the cabin when a climb is continued with masks deployed.If this information had been disseminated and the lessons learnt incorporated into CRM classes then the FA's of 522 would have had a precedent on which to base their actions.
b)Possible(ie.rumored only)failure to prevent the 2 flight crew members from operating together when there was reasonable justification to do so.
Both (a) and (b) are the repsonsibility of the CP.Does it make him responsible for the crash?No.Was failure to do (a) or(b) reckless endangerment?No.
The report says it quite clearly;this was flight-crew error.They paid for it with their lives.We should leave it at that.
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Rananim
your point b) above. . . . . .I must have missed something here. What was the issue with the two flight crew members operating together ?
Were one or other known/believed/rumoured/accused (or all 4 )to be "a little light" on ability.
If that was the case there are probably grounds for prosecuting every accountable manager of every airline in existence.
Don't tell me any of us have worked for a company where there wasn't at least 1 person in both the LH & RH seat who was generally acknowledged to be less than the sharpest tool in the box.
I would like to see someone find a realistic justifiable solution to that problem, I sure don't have one.
your point b) above. . . . . .I must have missed something here. What was the issue with the two flight crew members operating together ?
Were one or other known/believed/rumoured/accused (or all 4 )to be "a little light" on ability.
If that was the case there are probably grounds for prosecuting every accountable manager of every airline in existence.
Don't tell me any of us have worked for a company where there wasn't at least 1 person in both the LH & RH seat who was generally acknowledged to be less than the sharpest tool in the box.
I would like to see someone find a realistic justifiable solution to that problem, I sure don't have one.
Last edited by captplaystation; 27th Dec 2008 at 13:01.
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Does that contribute to prevent it from reoccurence anywhere else?
What was the main cause of the fatal loss.... Where could someone cut the Chain of events and prevent it ? More important then naming the individuals here. Focus more on Facts and less on Roumors, even in PPRUNE.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
What was the main cause of the fatal loss.... Where could someone cut the Chain of events and prevent it ? More important then naming the individuals here. Focus more on Facts and less on Roumors, even in PPRUNE.
Fly safe and land happy
NG
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B737NG,
Don't shoot the messenger, he is only confirming the fact. The rights and wrongs (and of course any reasonable person will probably agree with you that this decision is manifestly wrong) are discussed at length on another thread here if you care to read it. Pity the original poster hadn't just posted it on there.
Mods, any chance to move this to the end of the already existing thread to avoid doubling up ?
Don't shoot the messenger, he is only confirming the fact. The rights and wrongs (and of course any reasonable person will probably agree with you that this decision is manifestly wrong) are discussed at length on another thread here if you care to read it. Pity the original poster hadn't just posted it on there.
Mods, any chance to move this to the end of the already existing thread to avoid doubling up ?