Cypriot airliner crash - the accident and investigation
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"And as for the bloody horn! Most often heard in descent as the throttles close with the gear up, one's first reaction is to cancel it. Shame that one audio warning is designed to convey three different messages."
I.
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The Greek press has been very vocal recently, due in large part to leaks from unknown sources "close to the investigation." The preliminary report was originally scheduled for April; the investigation team insists that it will be presented in June. Further, the current "leaks" are pointing fingers at everyone, though not necessarily providing any real news in any one quarter.
I am posting the current article from today's Kathimerini online edition. I will also try and translate part of the article from To Vima (a Greek daily), at least the part that refers to the Irwin report and the questionable airworthiness of the plane.
Helios Flight 522 was destined to crash
Investigation committee finds mistakes and omissions committed on the ground and in the air, with blame for almost all involved
By Aristea Bougatsou - Kathimerini
The crash of a Boeing aircraft near Athens last August that killed all 121 passengers and crew will go down in aviation history as a case study of what can go wrong, according to an interim report to be released by the Investigation Commission for Accidents and Flight Security (EDAAP) in early April.
Apparently neither of the two malfunctions that appeared simultaneously during the flight could have caused the aircraft to crash if there had not also been dozens of other omissions related to flight security.
Sources have revealed to Kathimerini that the report will attribute a long series of mistakes on the part of all those in Cyprus involved in flight security. The report will attribute blame to both state and airline authorities for the unprecedented lack of any evaluation of the flight security system by the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority. As for Helios Airways, the findings point to criminal negligence on the ground and in the air, both on the part of company officials and ground staff involved in the particular flight.
Mistakes on the ground
The Helios aircraft crashed because of errors made on the ground which were then not dealt with in the air. During takeoff, just a few minutes after 9 a.m., instruments almost simultaneously gave two warnings regarding air pressure and cooling systems. Clarifications were sought from technicians on the ground.
The warnings (both an alarm and a light) came when the aircraft rose above 10,000 feet. Technicians on the ground in Larnaca had left the cabin air pressure switch in the manual position, instead of switching it over to auto, as they were supposed to do.
The aircraft cabin was already losing pressure and, as it turned out, the flight crew had not carried out the appropriate checks before takeoff in accordance with the pre-takeoff checklist. The pressure switch had not been checked and so remained in the manual position; the warning alarm caused confusion since the same alarm also sounds for a quite different malfunction —the position of the flaps and the wheels while on the ground.
As the aircraft rose to its cruising altitude of 34,000 feet and the problem remained unsolved, the gradual decompression began to affect passengers and crew; the latter, however, did not realize what was wrong. The air pressure level in the cabin was shown to be the same as it had been at 8,500 feet, when the second malfunction (overheating) in the communication cooling system (found under the pilot’s seat) occurred.
The German pilot got up to deal with the second malfunction. He may have attempted to reset the system or activate a backup system.
Meanwhile, the airplane had become a gas chamber. Passengers and crew would at first have fallen into an altered state and then lost consciousness, while the pilot collapsed in the cockpit. From then on the plane was on automatic pilot.
All the passengers would have suffered irreversible brain damage due to lack of oxygen, according to the coroners’ report. Even if the heroic cabin steward Andreas Prodromou, who sent out a Mayday message, had been able to land the plane as he apparently was trying to do, the rest of those on board still breathing would have been in a vegetative state. Prodromou stayed conscious by using portable oxygen bottles, perhaps because he had been able to put an oxygen mask on when the plane fell to 14,000 feet.
The problems had begun on the ground. During the groundchecks carried out just a few hours before the flight took off, Helios’s ground engineers had switched the air pressure valve to manual in order to create artificial compression conditions, but then forgot to switch it back to auto.
Then the flight crew on board neglected to check it, either by scanning or by reading out and naming the items on the pre-flight checklist. Nor did they switch it back during the flight, since they probably attributed the warning indication to a breakdown in the warning system or some other cause.
The crash showed a failure of the checking systems. The Flight Authority, a branch of the Cypriot Transport Ministry, was compromised and the airline found accountable but protected by a network of entangled interests and silence.
The Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority did not carry out the required checks and had not adopted the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) instructions, nor did it take into serious consideration the written recommendations submitted by its two British advisers.
Although blatant omissions had been noted, and the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority should have been under the supervision of the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Joint Aviation Authority, both these bodies failed to act.
The airline itself was characterized by a complete absence of air safety culture. Its chief concern was low-cost staff (with a six-month turnover) and hiring pilots on the cheap who were out of work and without many prospects.
Boeing weaknesses
The accident has revealed the weaknesses in the functioning of the Boeing 737-300, of which about 4,000 are in use around the world.
The investigating committee has already made four recommendations to the manufacturer. According the ICAO, security recommendations must be issued before the accident report and sent to the manufacturer, if the head of the investigation believes they are urgent.
According to sources, the head of the committee, Akrivos Tsolakis, sent the four recommendations to Boeing via the US Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee. All four concern the cabin air pressure system; hundreds of incidents involving this system have been reported around the world.
Two of the recommendations have already been adopted and Boeing has informed all airlines flying B737-300s.
One of these recommendations concerns the fact that the same warning sign appears for both the cabin pressure and the flaps — two different functions. The manufacturer is required to separate the two warning systems. The second recommendation adopted concerns an omission in the technical manual used by technicians on the ground with regard to setting the pressure switch to manual. The manual instructs technicians to switch back to the “original position” and not to “auto,” which would be clearer.
The EDAAP report will be sent to the Air Accident Investigation Committee in Cyprus, since Helios was based there, and to the US National Transportation Safety Board, since Boeing is based in the US. According to the law, EDAAP must make note of their comments within 60 days so as to reach its final conclusions. After the report is completed, the due process of law may proceed in Athens and Nicosia and the investigation will enter another phase, this time in the civil courts.
I am posting the current article from today's Kathimerini online edition. I will also try and translate part of the article from To Vima (a Greek daily), at least the part that refers to the Irwin report and the questionable airworthiness of the plane.
Helios Flight 522 was destined to crash
Investigation committee finds mistakes and omissions committed on the ground and in the air, with blame for almost all involved
By Aristea Bougatsou - Kathimerini
The crash of a Boeing aircraft near Athens last August that killed all 121 passengers and crew will go down in aviation history as a case study of what can go wrong, according to an interim report to be released by the Investigation Commission for Accidents and Flight Security (EDAAP) in early April.
Apparently neither of the two malfunctions that appeared simultaneously during the flight could have caused the aircraft to crash if there had not also been dozens of other omissions related to flight security.
Sources have revealed to Kathimerini that the report will attribute a long series of mistakes on the part of all those in Cyprus involved in flight security. The report will attribute blame to both state and airline authorities for the unprecedented lack of any evaluation of the flight security system by the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority. As for Helios Airways, the findings point to criminal negligence on the ground and in the air, both on the part of company officials and ground staff involved in the particular flight.
Mistakes on the ground
The Helios aircraft crashed because of errors made on the ground which were then not dealt with in the air. During takeoff, just a few minutes after 9 a.m., instruments almost simultaneously gave two warnings regarding air pressure and cooling systems. Clarifications were sought from technicians on the ground.
The warnings (both an alarm and a light) came when the aircraft rose above 10,000 feet. Technicians on the ground in Larnaca had left the cabin air pressure switch in the manual position, instead of switching it over to auto, as they were supposed to do.
The aircraft cabin was already losing pressure and, as it turned out, the flight crew had not carried out the appropriate checks before takeoff in accordance with the pre-takeoff checklist. The pressure switch had not been checked and so remained in the manual position; the warning alarm caused confusion since the same alarm also sounds for a quite different malfunction —the position of the flaps and the wheels while on the ground.
As the aircraft rose to its cruising altitude of 34,000 feet and the problem remained unsolved, the gradual decompression began to affect passengers and crew; the latter, however, did not realize what was wrong. The air pressure level in the cabin was shown to be the same as it had been at 8,500 feet, when the second malfunction (overheating) in the communication cooling system (found under the pilot’s seat) occurred.
The German pilot got up to deal with the second malfunction. He may have attempted to reset the system or activate a backup system.
Meanwhile, the airplane had become a gas chamber. Passengers and crew would at first have fallen into an altered state and then lost consciousness, while the pilot collapsed in the cockpit. From then on the plane was on automatic pilot.
All the passengers would have suffered irreversible brain damage due to lack of oxygen, according to the coroners’ report. Even if the heroic cabin steward Andreas Prodromou, who sent out a Mayday message, had been able to land the plane as he apparently was trying to do, the rest of those on board still breathing would have been in a vegetative state. Prodromou stayed conscious by using portable oxygen bottles, perhaps because he had been able to put an oxygen mask on when the plane fell to 14,000 feet.
The problems had begun on the ground. During the groundchecks carried out just a few hours before the flight took off, Helios’s ground engineers had switched the air pressure valve to manual in order to create artificial compression conditions, but then forgot to switch it back to auto.
Then the flight crew on board neglected to check it, either by scanning or by reading out and naming the items on the pre-flight checklist. Nor did they switch it back during the flight, since they probably attributed the warning indication to a breakdown in the warning system or some other cause.
The crash showed a failure of the checking systems. The Flight Authority, a branch of the Cypriot Transport Ministry, was compromised and the airline found accountable but protected by a network of entangled interests and silence.
The Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority did not carry out the required checks and had not adopted the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) instructions, nor did it take into serious consideration the written recommendations submitted by its two British advisers.
Although blatant omissions had been noted, and the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority should have been under the supervision of the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Joint Aviation Authority, both these bodies failed to act.
The airline itself was characterized by a complete absence of air safety culture. Its chief concern was low-cost staff (with a six-month turnover) and hiring pilots on the cheap who were out of work and without many prospects.
Boeing weaknesses
The accident has revealed the weaknesses in the functioning of the Boeing 737-300, of which about 4,000 are in use around the world.
The investigating committee has already made four recommendations to the manufacturer. According the ICAO, security recommendations must be issued before the accident report and sent to the manufacturer, if the head of the investigation believes they are urgent.
According to sources, the head of the committee, Akrivos Tsolakis, sent the four recommendations to Boeing via the US Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee. All four concern the cabin air pressure system; hundreds of incidents involving this system have been reported around the world.
Two of the recommendations have already been adopted and Boeing has informed all airlines flying B737-300s.
One of these recommendations concerns the fact that the same warning sign appears for both the cabin pressure and the flaps — two different functions. The manufacturer is required to separate the two warning systems. The second recommendation adopted concerns an omission in the technical manual used by technicians on the ground with regard to setting the pressure switch to manual. The manual instructs technicians to switch back to the “original position” and not to “auto,” which would be clearer.
The EDAAP report will be sent to the Air Accident Investigation Committee in Cyprus, since Helios was based there, and to the US National Transportation Safety Board, since Boeing is based in the US. According to the law, EDAAP must make note of their comments within 60 days so as to reach its final conclusions. After the report is completed, the due process of law may proceed in Athens and Nicosia and the investigation will enter another phase, this time in the civil courts.
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Nice post Fraidy Cat. It speaks volumes about the attitude the Greeks, (and Italians also), have about accident investigation.
There are at least 4 paragraphs in the report above that make reference to lack of supervision or oversight at a regulatory level, although in reality there seems very little reason - as yet - to lay any blame there. One gets the distinct impression that without a pair of pilots to throw into jail they are determined to look around the living to see who can take the slightest blame. Saving political face is far more important than removing the plain truth from the shadows.
- Missing a mis-configured pressurisation controller pre-flight.
- Missing an abnormal pressurisation regime early in flight.
- Mistaking a cabin altitude warning for a false-trigger of one of the other systems using an almost identical aural alert.
- Preoccupation with a minor malfunction whist another of greater gravity worsens.
Whilst this string of omissions is very unusual they are individually recognisable and attributable. All of these are quantifiable human failings that have happened before and will happen again. Pilots will continue to make mistakes because quite simply they are human. Unfortunately, with some corporate arrogance, Boeing refuse to acknowledge that smart design can trap & mitigate predictable human errors.
Simple changes to the alerting system in this aircraft would have prevented each single one of the above omissions.
And finally...... There are plenty of places around Western Europe where you could set up a cheap charter airline tomorrow. The British Libra Holidays Group is now aware of exactly the financial penalty of attempting to reduce their charter costs - but they have survived.
Had the victims of HCY522 been British holidaymakers I suspect Libra Holidays would now no longer be in existence.
There are at least 4 paragraphs in the report above that make reference to lack of supervision or oversight at a regulatory level, although in reality there seems very little reason - as yet - to lay any blame there. One gets the distinct impression that without a pair of pilots to throw into jail they are determined to look around the living to see who can take the slightest blame. Saving political face is far more important than removing the plain truth from the shadows.
- Missing a mis-configured pressurisation controller pre-flight.
- Missing an abnormal pressurisation regime early in flight.
- Mistaking a cabin altitude warning for a false-trigger of one of the other systems using an almost identical aural alert.
- Preoccupation with a minor malfunction whist another of greater gravity worsens.
Whilst this string of omissions is very unusual they are individually recognisable and attributable. All of these are quantifiable human failings that have happened before and will happen again. Pilots will continue to make mistakes because quite simply they are human. Unfortunately, with some corporate arrogance, Boeing refuse to acknowledge that smart design can trap & mitigate predictable human errors.
Simple changes to the alerting system in this aircraft would have prevented each single one of the above omissions.
And finally...... There are plenty of places around Western Europe where you could set up a cheap charter airline tomorrow. The British Libra Holidays Group is now aware of exactly the financial penalty of attempting to reduce their charter costs - but they have survived.
Had the victims of HCY522 been British holidaymakers I suspect Libra Holidays would now no longer be in existence.
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quote:
"Had the victims of HCY522 been British holidaymakers I suspect Libra Holidays would now no longer be in existence."
Not really true if you look at the history of aviation here in U.K (or in Europe)
and I wouldnt want to comment further on this statement.
"Had the victims of HCY522 been British holidaymakers I suspect Libra Holidays would now no longer be in existence."
Not really true if you look at the history of aviation here in U.K (or in Europe)
and I wouldnt want to comment further on this statement.
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The report will attribute blame to both state and airline authorities for the unprecedented lack of any evaluation of the flight security system by the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority. As for Helios Airways, the findings point to criminal negligence on the ground and in the air, both on the part of company officials and ground staff involved in the particular flight.
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I agree with you, Magplug.
ICAO Annex 13 Chapter 3.1 "It is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability."
Finding the cause(s) - yes. Apportion blame - NO!
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I agree with you, Magplug.
ICAO Annex 13 Chapter 3.1 "It is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability."
Finding the cause(s) - yes. Apportion blame - NO!
Pegase Driver
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The journalist writing on the Greek newspaper said that : " The report will attribute blame" . I doubt the actual report will do this.( but one never knows )
If indeed he saw a draft of the report he possibly interpreted some sentences under "causes " as " attributing blame " . Not the first time this happen.
If indeed he saw a draft of the report he possibly interpreted some sentences under "causes " as " attributing blame " . Not the first time this happen.
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The Cyprus Mail online edition has published an article basically repeating the previous article by Kathimerini. However, they have added a bit more information with regard to the format of the report, which they still insist will be presented in April.
‘Doomed from the outset’ By Elias Hazou
Greek paper says leaked report points to grave errors that led to crash
OVERSIGHTS ON the ground, slackness on the part of the crew during the flight, inadequate controls by the Civil Aviation Authority and faulty flightdeck consoles by Boeing – led to what has been dubbed the worst peacetime disaster in Cyprus’ recent history.
The above are the conclusions gleaned from a leaked draft of the accident report, published by Greek daily Kathimerini on Sunday. Citing its sources, the paper commented ominously that flight ZU-522, the August 14 crash of Helios Airways that claimed the lives of 121 people, was “doomed from the outset.”
According to Kathimerini, chief air investigator Akrivos Tsolakis and his team of experts have found that the confusion over the decompression warning alarm “could under no circumstances have been the cause on its own…there were dozens of other omissions in air safety that contributed to the crash.”
Now seven months in the making, Tsolakis’ voluminous probe should be ready sometime in April. It comprises 200 pages, divided into four chapters: the facts of the case; analysis of the facts; the findings/causes of the accident; and a list of safety recommendations. This is followed by thousands of pages of appendices with all the documents used in the investigation.
Kathimerini said the probe would apportion responsibility on all those involved with aviation in Cyprus, and would be particularly damning on civil aviation, for an “unparalleled absence of assessing air flight safety,” and on the airline for “criminal negligence”.
The inquiry contains some chilling details on the sequence of events. Problems began with mistakes on the ground that were subsequently not dealt with in the air. Shortly after takeoff at 9am on the fateful day, two warnings – one for the decompression system, the other for the cooling system – were sounded almost simultaneously.
The warning horn sounded after the aircraft reached an altitude of 10,000 feet. The cabin decompression switch had been left on manual by ground crew during pre-flight checks, while it should have been set to automatic.
Still, this lapse could have been detected in time by the pilots had they properly scanned their gauges and carried out a checklist of components before takeoff. The aviators apparently did not do that.
When the decompression alarm went off, the crew – who had assumed that the decompression switch was on auto – mistakenly took this for a glitch in the positioning of the flaps, because the sounds emitted in both cases are identical. As the aircraft climbed to 34,000 feet, both the pilots and passengers gradually suffered the effects of hypoxia, or low oxygen in the blood: giddiness, loss of consciousness and finally deep slumber.
Captain Hans-Juergen Merten, who had left his seat to check the cooling system, is believed to have fainted inside the cabin.
According to the paper, all the people on board suffered irreversible brain damage from the lack of oxygen, and even if anyone had actually survived the horrific crash they would have been left in a vegetative state.
That includes flight attendant Andreas Prodromou who managed to retain consciousness using a portable oxygen mask at 14,000 feet and vainly tried to fly the plane before it slammed into a ravine at Grammatikos, outside Athens.
Moving on, the probe hauls the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority over the coals, reportedly suggesting that its system of controls was “full of holes”. Kathimerini’s sources say the agency did not carry out the necessary checks on planes and often ignored instructions from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation). Moreover, it blew off recommendations periodically made by its two British consultants.
However, partial responsibility also lies with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities) for failing to place the local civil aviation authorities under surveillance and thus acting preventatively.
As far as Helios Airways is concerned, the probe reportedly notes the marked “lack of a safety culture” in the company. The airline’s employees were hired on six-month contracts, giving them no career prospects and thus no incentives. The same corporate policy extended to the pilots, as the airline tended to hire the “cheapest they could find”,
Aircraft manufacturers Boeing also had its share of blame. In his probe, Tsolakis notes the confusion generated over the decompression warning signal and that Boeing should have taken steps to rectify this.
What is more, the company’s manual for the Boeing 737-300 was vague. Instead of explicitly instructing ground technicians to reset the decompression switch to auto, the manual simply said that the switch should be set “to the previous position,” i.e. from manual to auto.
The manual setting is used in pre-flight checks to simulate decompression situations, but needs to revert to automatic for takeoff.
According to procedure, when completed the probe will be communicated to the US’s National Transportation Safety Board and to Helios, who then need to respond to the observations within 60 days. Once their answers are in, the report will be published, opening the way for any legal proceedings by the victims’ relatives, who for months now have been agonisingly waiting for the truth to come out.
In a related development, ICAO is considering enforcing stricter controls on the civil aviation authorities of countries that are deemed to be problematic. One proposal is to appoint a “guardian” who would monitor the authorities and ensure they comply with all safety standards.
At the ICAO summit in Montreal, Canada, the heads of civil aviation authorities around the world are being asked to authorise the publication of the results of checks on the organisation’s website.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
‘Doomed from the outset’ By Elias Hazou
Greek paper says leaked report points to grave errors that led to crash
OVERSIGHTS ON the ground, slackness on the part of the crew during the flight, inadequate controls by the Civil Aviation Authority and faulty flightdeck consoles by Boeing – led to what has been dubbed the worst peacetime disaster in Cyprus’ recent history.
The above are the conclusions gleaned from a leaked draft of the accident report, published by Greek daily Kathimerini on Sunday. Citing its sources, the paper commented ominously that flight ZU-522, the August 14 crash of Helios Airways that claimed the lives of 121 people, was “doomed from the outset.”
According to Kathimerini, chief air investigator Akrivos Tsolakis and his team of experts have found that the confusion over the decompression warning alarm “could under no circumstances have been the cause on its own…there were dozens of other omissions in air safety that contributed to the crash.”
Now seven months in the making, Tsolakis’ voluminous probe should be ready sometime in April. It comprises 200 pages, divided into four chapters: the facts of the case; analysis of the facts; the findings/causes of the accident; and a list of safety recommendations. This is followed by thousands of pages of appendices with all the documents used in the investigation.
Kathimerini said the probe would apportion responsibility on all those involved with aviation in Cyprus, and would be particularly damning on civil aviation, for an “unparalleled absence of assessing air flight safety,” and on the airline for “criminal negligence”.
The inquiry contains some chilling details on the sequence of events. Problems began with mistakes on the ground that were subsequently not dealt with in the air. Shortly after takeoff at 9am on the fateful day, two warnings – one for the decompression system, the other for the cooling system – were sounded almost simultaneously.
The warning horn sounded after the aircraft reached an altitude of 10,000 feet. The cabin decompression switch had been left on manual by ground crew during pre-flight checks, while it should have been set to automatic.
Still, this lapse could have been detected in time by the pilots had they properly scanned their gauges and carried out a checklist of components before takeoff. The aviators apparently did not do that.
When the decompression alarm went off, the crew – who had assumed that the decompression switch was on auto – mistakenly took this for a glitch in the positioning of the flaps, because the sounds emitted in both cases are identical. As the aircraft climbed to 34,000 feet, both the pilots and passengers gradually suffered the effects of hypoxia, or low oxygen in the blood: giddiness, loss of consciousness and finally deep slumber.
Captain Hans-Juergen Merten, who had left his seat to check the cooling system, is believed to have fainted inside the cabin.
According to the paper, all the people on board suffered irreversible brain damage from the lack of oxygen, and even if anyone had actually survived the horrific crash they would have been left in a vegetative state.
That includes flight attendant Andreas Prodromou who managed to retain consciousness using a portable oxygen mask at 14,000 feet and vainly tried to fly the plane before it slammed into a ravine at Grammatikos, outside Athens.
Moving on, the probe hauls the Cypriot Civil Aviation Authority over the coals, reportedly suggesting that its system of controls was “full of holes”. Kathimerini’s sources say the agency did not carry out the necessary checks on planes and often ignored instructions from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation). Moreover, it blew off recommendations periodically made by its two British consultants.
However, partial responsibility also lies with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and JAA (Joint Aviation Authorities) for failing to place the local civil aviation authorities under surveillance and thus acting preventatively.
As far as Helios Airways is concerned, the probe reportedly notes the marked “lack of a safety culture” in the company. The airline’s employees were hired on six-month contracts, giving them no career prospects and thus no incentives. The same corporate policy extended to the pilots, as the airline tended to hire the “cheapest they could find”,
Aircraft manufacturers Boeing also had its share of blame. In his probe, Tsolakis notes the confusion generated over the decompression warning signal and that Boeing should have taken steps to rectify this.
What is more, the company’s manual for the Boeing 737-300 was vague. Instead of explicitly instructing ground technicians to reset the decompression switch to auto, the manual simply said that the switch should be set “to the previous position,” i.e. from manual to auto.
The manual setting is used in pre-flight checks to simulate decompression situations, but needs to revert to automatic for takeoff.
According to procedure, when completed the probe will be communicated to the US’s National Transportation Safety Board and to Helios, who then need to respond to the observations within 60 days. Once their answers are in, the report will be published, opening the way for any legal proceedings by the victims’ relatives, who for months now have been agonisingly waiting for the truth to come out.
In a related development, ICAO is considering enforcing stricter controls on the civil aviation authorities of countries that are deemed to be problematic. One proposal is to appoint a “guardian” who would monitor the authorities and ensure they comply with all safety standards.
At the ICAO summit in Montreal, Canada, the heads of civil aviation authorities around the world are being asked to authorise the publication of the results of checks on the organisation’s website.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005
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Lest I forget, here are two snippets from the Greek press, which were republished in the Cyprus Mail today. Once again, all of these "sources" claim that the investigation report is imminent.
ALITHIA: “Unbearable responsibilities”. According to an Athens newspaper, the Flight Safety and Accident Investigations Committee’s intermediary report on the August 2005 airplane tragedy, which will most likely be completed and published within the next few days, puts all blame and responsibility on the Helios Company and on the Civil Aviation Department and makes some serious accusations against them.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “It all started on the ground”. An embarrassment of mistakes and mishaps by the Helios Company and the Civil Aviation Department are listed and described by Akrivos Tsolakis’ Investigative Committee’s report on the airplane tragedy last August. According to the information that arrived from Athens, Tsolakis’ report will point to State and Corporate responsibilities for the first ever absence of correct evaluation of the flight safety system.
ALITHIA: “Unbearable responsibilities”. According to an Athens newspaper, the Flight Safety and Accident Investigations Committee’s intermediary report on the August 2005 airplane tragedy, which will most likely be completed and published within the next few days, puts all blame and responsibility on the Helios Company and on the Civil Aviation Department and makes some serious accusations against them.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “It all started on the ground”. An embarrassment of mistakes and mishaps by the Helios Company and the Civil Aviation Department are listed and described by Akrivos Tsolakis’ Investigative Committee’s report on the airplane tragedy last August. According to the information that arrived from Athens, Tsolakis’ report will point to State and Corporate responsibilities for the first ever absence of correct evaluation of the flight safety system.
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unconscious, oxygen-starved and frozen-stiff in an unpressurised environment at cruise altitude of 34,000ft?
With the outflow valve left in [MANUAL] for the entire flight the pressurisation would have progressed abnormally leading eventually to a hypoxic environment as they climbed. As the engineers had carried out static pressurisation tests on the ground pre-flight, The probability is that the valve was left in a near-closed position.
If you take off in an aircraft that is totally failing to pressurise then it is pretty evident - your are obiged to clear your ears frequently as the cabin ROC is 2500fpm as opposed to about 500fpm. In short - it is a cue difficult to miss... so how come...? The probability that the outflow valve was static in a near-closed position would allow some pressurisation but the situation might not be recognised as so abnormal as to give rise to concern.
In this configuration the resulting cabin altitude when at FL340 will be a matter of pot luck. If the cabin ends up (say) in the high 20,000's you will have an adequate amount of oxygen to sustain life but insufficient to sustain consciousness in the majority of subjects.
The cabin oxygen PSU's drop at 14000'. The chemical oxygen generators in the are designed to function for a minimum of 12 minutes. They don't stop after 12 minutes but the level of oxygen produced tails off until the production ceases altogether much later. If you pass unconscious with the mask still on your face you will be getting SOME oxygen for some time thereafter. As for the 8yo child surviving after the crash - we already know that children have survived for extraordinary periods in water under ice so perhaps children are better equipped to survive hypoxia that adults?
Last edited by Magplug; 22nd Mar 2006 at 17:36.
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May I ask the professionals who are losing interest here to continue the 'Blacklist' discussion on this thread http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=218193 and leave this thread for the topic of the Helios investigation?
On a personal note, since my local newsagent does not unfortunately stock Cypriot newspapers, I am grateful for the insight BFC provides into the on-going situation and would ask him/her to continue - subject of course to 'the nod' from the boss.
On a personal note, since my local newsagent does not unfortunately stock Cypriot newspapers, I am grateful for the insight BFC provides into the on-going situation and would ask him/her to continue - subject of course to 'the nod' from the boss.
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ROC affect on ears
Originally Posted by Magplug
If you take off in an aircraft that is failing to pressurise then it is pretty evident - your ears are uncomfortable as the cabin ROC is 2500fpm as opposed to about 500fpm. In short - it is a cue difficult to miss... so how come? The fact that they missed this cue supports the probability that the outflow valve was in a near-closed (although still abnormal) position, so the cabin although climbing abnormally, was not so abnormal so as to give rise to concern.
I'd therefore concur with the above observation about the potentially absent cue, whilst not being in a professional position to comment on the resulting theory.
Cheers,
Rich.
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For those interested, I have posted a Cyprus Mail article from today's edition on the Airlines and Airports thread regarding the rebranding of Helios. The article covers both the investigation status of the Helios crash and the licensing of ajet.
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From today's Cyprus Mail online edition:
We’re still working on air safety
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday stated that efforts to improve and upgrade the Civil Aviation are continuing following a meeting with Greek Air Crash Investigator Akrivos Tsolakis.
Speaking after a meeting with Tsolakis, who is leading the investigation into what caused Helios Airways flight ZU 522 to crash in Greece in August 2005, Thrasou told reporters that his meetings with Tsolakis are not only about being briefed on the ongoing investigation into the crash.
“We also discussing various practical issues which include upgrading the civil aviation and looking at ways in which to further improve air safety”, said Thrasou. “We are determined to see these developments continue.”
Speaking about the ongoing investigation into the crash which caused the death of 121 passengers and crew members, most of which were Cypriot, Tsolakis said that the investigative report was in its final stages and that it would be circulated in both Greek and English.
The preliminary report is estimated to be ready by April and the final, official report by June.
The report is also said to comprise of 200 pages and is to be divided into four chapters: the facts of the case; analysis of the facts; the findings/causes of the accident; and a list of safety recommendations. This is followed by thousands of pages of appendices with all the documents used in the investigation.
According to Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the probe would apportion responsibility on all those involved with aviation in Cyprus, and would be particularly damning on civil aviation, for an “unparalleled absence of assessing air flight safety,” and on the airline for “criminal negligence”.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
We’re still working on air safety
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday stated that efforts to improve and upgrade the Civil Aviation are continuing following a meeting with Greek Air Crash Investigator Akrivos Tsolakis.
Speaking after a meeting with Tsolakis, who is leading the investigation into what caused Helios Airways flight ZU 522 to crash in Greece in August 2005, Thrasou told reporters that his meetings with Tsolakis are not only about being briefed on the ongoing investigation into the crash.
“We also discussing various practical issues which include upgrading the civil aviation and looking at ways in which to further improve air safety”, said Thrasou. “We are determined to see these developments continue.”
Speaking about the ongoing investigation into the crash which caused the death of 121 passengers and crew members, most of which were Cypriot, Tsolakis said that the investigative report was in its final stages and that it would be circulated in both Greek and English.
The preliminary report is estimated to be ready by April and the final, official report by June.
The report is also said to comprise of 200 pages and is to be divided into four chapters: the facts of the case; analysis of the facts; the findings/causes of the accident; and a list of safety recommendations. This is followed by thousands of pages of appendices with all the documents used in the investigation.
According to Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the probe would apportion responsibility on all those involved with aviation in Cyprus, and would be particularly damning on civil aviation, for an “unparalleled absence of assessing air flight safety,” and on the airline for “criminal negligence”.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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From the Cyprus Mail online edition of 9 April:
Why were organs destroyed in Helios probe?
By Elias Hazou
IN A MORBID twist to investigations into last August’s air disaster, Greek authorities are now puzzling over why and how organs belonging to the late co-pilot Pambos Charalambous – possibly vital clues to determining the cause of the accident – have vanished.
The heart condition of the doomed plane’s aviators became a subject of much controversy last September, when post-mortem findings showed severe infractions in the coronary arteries of both Charalambous and chief pilot Hans Juergen-Merten. That immediately rose questions as to whether the two men were fit to fly.
At the time, the findings – released by Greece’s chief coroner Philippos Koutsaftis – were angrily dismissed by Charalambous’ family back in Cyprus. Charalambous’ wife Sofia insisted her late husband was in good health and even engaged in hunting. She attributed the reports to a malicious effort by some quarters to exonerate the airline and shift attention to the pilots instead.
And Charalambous’ personal physician, a neuro-pathologist, had produced electrocardiograms (EKGs) indicating no health problems. However, other physicians commented that EKGs do not provide a clear picture of a person’s health, as they cannot detect constrictions in arteries.
And experts suggested the pilots may have passed out a lot quicker in the event of lack of oxygen, as happened on flight ZU 522.
To dispel the rumours, Charalambous asked through their lawyer for a second analysis of the heart. But according to Philelefheros, in late February Koutsaftis replied that this was not possible because the organ had in the meantime been “destroyed” by the examining scientist.
In a letter addressed to the lawyer, Koutsaftis informed the family that procedures dictated the destruction of organs within three months of their examination.
This apparently came as a shock to Charalambous’ relatives, who claim they had previously received assurances that the organs would be preserved until the end of the legal investigation or for a period of at least three years.
Moreover, looking at the dates, the family say the heart was destroyyed even before Koutsaftis had completed and submitted the report, and wonder why that is so.
Meanwhile in Athens senior public prosecutor Panayiotis Poulios is looking into the allegations. Poulios, regarded in legal circles as a “tough cookie”, is the supervisor of the police investigation into the causes of the August 14 crash.
He is also known for his involvement in the case of the 14 British and Dutch plane-spotters in Greece in 2001. A Greek court found the group guilty of illegally gathering state secrets.
Chief accident investigator Akrivos Tsolakis yesterday declined any comment on the press reports, saying he could only speak about his area of expertise, which did not include medical issues.
But he did confirm that Greek authorities were investigating the matter.
Tsolakis was speaking to the Mail shortly before departing from Cyprus. Though he could not say for certain whether or when he would be returning to the island, he guessed that would “probably not be necessary”.
He said the probe on the air crash was on track and should be wrapped up by early summer.
“We are proceeding very rapidly, and will have completed the investigation in little under a year – a record amount of time, considering that similar inquiries elsewhere usually take up to two years.”
The predominant theory on the plane crash is that a sequence of mishaps and oversights lead to gradual loss of cabin pressure, which caused hypoxemia, or reduced oxygen in the blood, rendering the crew unconscious.
Much has been said of the decompression switch, which was left on manual by ground crew during pre-flight checks, while it should have been set to automatic. The wrong configuration was not noticed by the pilots, partly because they were confused by an alarm that went off for another component that emitted the same sound as the warning for decompression.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Why were organs destroyed in Helios probe?
By Elias Hazou
IN A MORBID twist to investigations into last August’s air disaster, Greek authorities are now puzzling over why and how organs belonging to the late co-pilot Pambos Charalambous – possibly vital clues to determining the cause of the accident – have vanished.
The heart condition of the doomed plane’s aviators became a subject of much controversy last September, when post-mortem findings showed severe infractions in the coronary arteries of both Charalambous and chief pilot Hans Juergen-Merten. That immediately rose questions as to whether the two men were fit to fly.
At the time, the findings – released by Greece’s chief coroner Philippos Koutsaftis – were angrily dismissed by Charalambous’ family back in Cyprus. Charalambous’ wife Sofia insisted her late husband was in good health and even engaged in hunting. She attributed the reports to a malicious effort by some quarters to exonerate the airline and shift attention to the pilots instead.
And Charalambous’ personal physician, a neuro-pathologist, had produced electrocardiograms (EKGs) indicating no health problems. However, other physicians commented that EKGs do not provide a clear picture of a person’s health, as they cannot detect constrictions in arteries.
And experts suggested the pilots may have passed out a lot quicker in the event of lack of oxygen, as happened on flight ZU 522.
To dispel the rumours, Charalambous asked through their lawyer for a second analysis of the heart. But according to Philelefheros, in late February Koutsaftis replied that this was not possible because the organ had in the meantime been “destroyed” by the examining scientist.
In a letter addressed to the lawyer, Koutsaftis informed the family that procedures dictated the destruction of organs within three months of their examination.
This apparently came as a shock to Charalambous’ relatives, who claim they had previously received assurances that the organs would be preserved until the end of the legal investigation or for a period of at least three years.
Moreover, looking at the dates, the family say the heart was destroyyed even before Koutsaftis had completed and submitted the report, and wonder why that is so.
Meanwhile in Athens senior public prosecutor Panayiotis Poulios is looking into the allegations. Poulios, regarded in legal circles as a “tough cookie”, is the supervisor of the police investigation into the causes of the August 14 crash.
He is also known for his involvement in the case of the 14 British and Dutch plane-spotters in Greece in 2001. A Greek court found the group guilty of illegally gathering state secrets.
Chief accident investigator Akrivos Tsolakis yesterday declined any comment on the press reports, saying he could only speak about his area of expertise, which did not include medical issues.
But he did confirm that Greek authorities were investigating the matter.
Tsolakis was speaking to the Mail shortly before departing from Cyprus. Though he could not say for certain whether or when he would be returning to the island, he guessed that would “probably not be necessary”.
He said the probe on the air crash was on track and should be wrapped up by early summer.
“We are proceeding very rapidly, and will have completed the investigation in little under a year – a record amount of time, considering that similar inquiries elsewhere usually take up to two years.”
The predominant theory on the plane crash is that a sequence of mishaps and oversights lead to gradual loss of cabin pressure, which caused hypoxemia, or reduced oxygen in the blood, rendering the crew unconscious.
Much has been said of the decompression switch, which was left on manual by ground crew during pre-flight checks, while it should have been set to automatic. The wrong configuration was not noticed by the pilots, partly because they were confused by an alarm that went off for another component that emitted the same sound as the warning for decompression.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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After a long period of silence, and while all are waiting for the investigation report on the crash, here is a bit of news from the Cyprus Mail online edition of today. I suppose that the expression "better late than never" would apply in this case.
Cyprus announces investigator for Helios inquiry
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE CABINET yesterday approved the appointment of an independent, one-member Investigative Committee to determine the exact reasons behind last August’s Helios Airways crash, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers aboard.
Talking after the meeting, Government Spokesman George Lillikas named Panayiotis Kallis, previous Member of the Supreme Court, as the chief investigator.
“Kallis will be assisted by two expert appraisers from Greece, Elias Nicolaides and Georgios Bonnis, as well as other necessary staff,” said Lillikas.
“The President of the Republic, with public statements, had taken on the commitment that the government would do everything and wouldn't omit anything in the complete and in-depth objective, independent and incontestable investigation into the reasons behind the accident, the ascertainment of responsibilities and their attribution to those who they belong to, independent of title, office, political or other situation, advantages or connection of anyone who may be responsible.”
The investigation, explained Lillikas, would not only cover the specific flight, but also the procedures in general, the practicalities and safety levels that are adjusted, both presently and in the recent past.
“The investigation concerns the conditions under which licensing was given to the companies, aircrafts and crews, as well as the conduct of pre-flight checks in general and especially the ones made for this specific flight and this aircraft”.
The committee’s mandate is very broad, said the Government Spokesman, “to ensure in practice the total and in-depth investigation into the reasons of the accident, without bars and restrictions.”
He added that the decision for the appointment of the Investigating Committee was taken in view of the forthcoming issuing of the findings of the Greek Committee for the Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents, “so that there is no delay in the detection and attribution of responsibilities”.
A designated area has been found and rented for the Committee to carry out its duties.
The committee’s mandate will soon be given to the public, Lillikas concluded.
“They are written in such a way, that they cover all areas and all of those who are possibly to blame.”
President of the Committee for the relatives of the Helios victims Nicolas Yiasoumis said yesterday, for there to be substance to the newly appointed committee, the results of Tsolakis’ investigation need to be made formally known.
“The conclusion of Mr Tsolakis’ investigation must be given to the relevant authorities, within the next few days, so that the investigative committee is not an investigative committee appointed just on paper, but a committee with a substantial role to play during the procedures for finding those who are to blame and bringing them to justice.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Cyprus announces investigator for Helios inquiry
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE CABINET yesterday approved the appointment of an independent, one-member Investigative Committee to determine the exact reasons behind last August’s Helios Airways crash, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers aboard.
Talking after the meeting, Government Spokesman George Lillikas named Panayiotis Kallis, previous Member of the Supreme Court, as the chief investigator.
“Kallis will be assisted by two expert appraisers from Greece, Elias Nicolaides and Georgios Bonnis, as well as other necessary staff,” said Lillikas.
“The President of the Republic, with public statements, had taken on the commitment that the government would do everything and wouldn't omit anything in the complete and in-depth objective, independent and incontestable investigation into the reasons behind the accident, the ascertainment of responsibilities and their attribution to those who they belong to, independent of title, office, political or other situation, advantages or connection of anyone who may be responsible.”
The investigation, explained Lillikas, would not only cover the specific flight, but also the procedures in general, the practicalities and safety levels that are adjusted, both presently and in the recent past.
“The investigation concerns the conditions under which licensing was given to the companies, aircrafts and crews, as well as the conduct of pre-flight checks in general and especially the ones made for this specific flight and this aircraft”.
The committee’s mandate is very broad, said the Government Spokesman, “to ensure in practice the total and in-depth investigation into the reasons of the accident, without bars and restrictions.”
He added that the decision for the appointment of the Investigating Committee was taken in view of the forthcoming issuing of the findings of the Greek Committee for the Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents, “so that there is no delay in the detection and attribution of responsibilities”.
A designated area has been found and rented for the Committee to carry out its duties.
The committee’s mandate will soon be given to the public, Lillikas concluded.
“They are written in such a way, that they cover all areas and all of those who are possibly to blame.”
President of the Committee for the relatives of the Helios victims Nicolas Yiasoumis said yesterday, for there to be substance to the newly appointed committee, the results of Tsolakis’ investigation need to be made formally known.
“The conclusion of Mr Tsolakis’ investigation must be given to the relevant authorities, within the next few days, so that the investigative committee is not an investigative committee appointed just on paper, but a committee with a substantial role to play during the procedures for finding those who are to blame and bringing them to justice.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
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Here we go .... this from the Cyprus Mail today. I could not possibly post this today, without adding a personal comment. After reading this article, I could not help but feel like Alice who fell down that incredible hole!!
DISY slams timing of Helios probe
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE GOVERNMENT has a clear indication of the main reasons behind last August’s Helios crash in Grammatiko, and that is why it has appointed the Investigative Committee, the Government Spokesman said yesterday.
George Lillikas was responding to opposition DISY’s claims that the government planned the appointment of the committee to coincide with the crucial pre-election period.
This was deemed the appropriate time to appoint the committee, he said, because Akrivos Tsolakis – head of the Greek Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents and Incidents – had recently stated that his report would be ready on May 15.
Tsolakis’ investigation will cover all the facts surrounding the crash in detail. The independent committee, appointed by President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos on Wednesday, will have the task of decoding Tsolakis’ report and apportioning blame.
DISY repeated its concerns yesterday over the timing of the independent committee’s appointment. The party’s Communications Commissioner, George Georgiou, spoke of political expediencies and accused President Papadopoulos of inconsistency in words and actions.
“I would like to express our sadness for the way the DISY leadership, in its nihilistic and populist approach due to the elections, doesn't hesitate to play with the emotions of the victims’ relatives in a serious and humanely sensitive matter,” said Lillikas.
“We are also expressing our sadness, because some, instead of supporting the investigative committee in the difficult task it has ahead of it, with various statements and insinuations, have started to doubt it. Either by doubting the composition of the committee, or its effectiveness.”
But Georgiou expressed the certainty that the report had not been submitted, and that it wouldn’t be submitted until after the elections.
“When the President of the Republic himself, for so many months, didn’t move ahead and appoint the independent committee – because he was publicly telling us that this would happen as soon as the President of the Republic had the conclusions of the report in his hands – then this means one of two things: either the President move forward with the appointment yesterday, due to the immense pressure from the public because of his nine-month-long delay in appointing the committee. Or secondly, he [Papadopoulos] has the Tsolakis report in his possession and what the public wants is the publication of this report”.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday announced that the Independent Committee would be based at the Nicosia Conference Centre.
According to the Minister, various actions had been taken in the past few weeks to find a base for the Committee, so that it could immediately start operating after its appointment and not create impressions that there were purposeful delays in the attribution of responsibilities.
He also rejected the opposition’s claims that the appointment of the committee had political connections.
“The appointment (of the committee) has happened a few days before the submission of Tsolakis’ conclusion and if this has coincided with the elections, I believe that it has no relevance and this dimension should not be given to the matter”, said Thrasou.
“We are awaiting the conclusion of the investigation by the Greek Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents and Incidents from Tsolakis and we decided, and so did the president personally, that this was the appropriate moment to appoint a committee. In this way it is prepared and ready.”
When he was in Cyprus last month, Tsolakis had said that the conclusion would be ready by mid-May or by the end of May at the latest, Thrasou continued.
“I don't know whether the result will be issued before or after the elections and I don't believe Tsolakis would connect the matter of the result with the elections.
Mr Tsolakis mentioned that once the results are ready, it will be given to the relevant authorities.”
President of the Cypriot Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents, Costas Orfanos, said that the committee would be informed on Tsolakis’ results through the government. He specified that it would also be passed on to the committees of Cyprus and the US, who will make it available to the respective companies that are involved.
He also said that after the results were announced, there would be a period of 60 days where comments and observations would be made, and then the Greek committee would decide whether to approve them or reject them.
“I believe that in these next few days we will know when the results will be given to the Cypriot and American committees” said Orfanos.
President of the Victims’ Relatives Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, said he believed it was a matter of days before Tsolakis submitted his report.
He stressed the importance of their being no political manipulation in the matter.
“Within the next few days, the result must be submitted to the parties involved, so that that these rumours of political interferences, which have developed in the past few days, with the rumoured pressures put on Tsolakis by political influences, not to issue the report before the elections, can end,” Yiasoumis commented.
“And now there are impressions being expressed that the committee was appointed clearly for political reasons. This is something the relatives disagree with.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
DISY slams timing of Helios probe
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
THE GOVERNMENT has a clear indication of the main reasons behind last August’s Helios crash in Grammatiko, and that is why it has appointed the Investigative Committee, the Government Spokesman said yesterday.
George Lillikas was responding to opposition DISY’s claims that the government planned the appointment of the committee to coincide with the crucial pre-election period.
This was deemed the appropriate time to appoint the committee, he said, because Akrivos Tsolakis – head of the Greek Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents and Incidents – had recently stated that his report would be ready on May 15.
Tsolakis’ investigation will cover all the facts surrounding the crash in detail. The independent committee, appointed by President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos on Wednesday, will have the task of decoding Tsolakis’ report and apportioning blame.
DISY repeated its concerns yesterday over the timing of the independent committee’s appointment. The party’s Communications Commissioner, George Georgiou, spoke of political expediencies and accused President Papadopoulos of inconsistency in words and actions.
“I would like to express our sadness for the way the DISY leadership, in its nihilistic and populist approach due to the elections, doesn't hesitate to play with the emotions of the victims’ relatives in a serious and humanely sensitive matter,” said Lillikas.
“We are also expressing our sadness, because some, instead of supporting the investigative committee in the difficult task it has ahead of it, with various statements and insinuations, have started to doubt it. Either by doubting the composition of the committee, or its effectiveness.”
But Georgiou expressed the certainty that the report had not been submitted, and that it wouldn’t be submitted until after the elections.
“When the President of the Republic himself, for so many months, didn’t move ahead and appoint the independent committee – because he was publicly telling us that this would happen as soon as the President of the Republic had the conclusions of the report in his hands – then this means one of two things: either the President move forward with the appointment yesterday, due to the immense pressure from the public because of his nine-month-long delay in appointing the committee. Or secondly, he [Papadopoulos] has the Tsolakis report in his possession and what the public wants is the publication of this report”.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Haris Thrasou yesterday announced that the Independent Committee would be based at the Nicosia Conference Centre.
According to the Minister, various actions had been taken in the past few weeks to find a base for the Committee, so that it could immediately start operating after its appointment and not create impressions that there were purposeful delays in the attribution of responsibilities.
He also rejected the opposition’s claims that the appointment of the committee had political connections.
“The appointment (of the committee) has happened a few days before the submission of Tsolakis’ conclusion and if this has coincided with the elections, I believe that it has no relevance and this dimension should not be given to the matter”, said Thrasou.
“We are awaiting the conclusion of the investigation by the Greek Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents and Incidents from Tsolakis and we decided, and so did the president personally, that this was the appropriate moment to appoint a committee. In this way it is prepared and ready.”
When he was in Cyprus last month, Tsolakis had said that the conclusion would be ready by mid-May or by the end of May at the latest, Thrasou continued.
“I don't know whether the result will be issued before or after the elections and I don't believe Tsolakis would connect the matter of the result with the elections.
Mr Tsolakis mentioned that once the results are ready, it will be given to the relevant authorities.”
President of the Cypriot Committee for the Investigation into Air Accidents, Costas Orfanos, said that the committee would be informed on Tsolakis’ results through the government. He specified that it would also be passed on to the committees of Cyprus and the US, who will make it available to the respective companies that are involved.
He also said that after the results were announced, there would be a period of 60 days where comments and observations would be made, and then the Greek committee would decide whether to approve them or reject them.
“I believe that in these next few days we will know when the results will be given to the Cypriot and American committees” said Orfanos.
President of the Victims’ Relatives Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, said he believed it was a matter of days before Tsolakis submitted his report.
He stressed the importance of their being no political manipulation in the matter.
“Within the next few days, the result must be submitted to the parties involved, so that that these rumours of political interferences, which have developed in the past few days, with the rumoured pressures put on Tsolakis by political influences, not to issue the report before the elections, can end,” Yiasoumis commented.
“And now there are impressions being expressed that the committee was appointed clearly for political reasons. This is something the relatives disagree with.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006