Cypriot airliner crash - the accident and investigation
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This article really relates to the continuing saga of the rebranding of Helios, the thread for which I cannot find !!
Therefore, it is being posted here and is an update on the name change fracas as reported by the Cyprus Mail today:
Relatives’ fury at ajet licence
By Elias Hazou
AJET, the successor airline to disaster-stricken Helios Airways, yesterday got the thumbs-up to start flights, even as relatives of the air crash victims vowed to take action against the government within the EU.
Back in March ajet had applied to Civil Aviation for a licence and has since been using the assets and flight code of Helios. The company had also applied for an Air Operator’s Licence to operate as a charter airline.
Helios says it had long contemplated changing its business model and denied this was a ploy to evade justice. And it cited corporate law, according to which ultimately, any liability claims are guaranteed by Helios’ insurers.
In the meantime, Helios’ planes have been flying under the ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
But the families and friends of the people who perished aboard flight ZU522 last August are outraged that the airline should change its name and image – let alone operate – while the jury is still out on whether the company was responsible for the disaster.
Their lawyer has also argued that, according to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) regulations, an airline with a crash record must undergo all technical and security inspections from scratch, and that clearly this was not done in the case of Helios.
With feelings of bitterness still running high, Civil Aviation yesterday announced that it had okayed the issuing of an air operator’s licence to ajet.
The department’s head Leonidas Leonidou told state radio that the department would be making a “favourable recommendation” to the Transport Ministry for the licence.
Their decision was based on the legal opinion of the Attorney-general, he added.
According to Leonidou, it was perfectly normal for an airline to fly with certificates under a different name.
“The company is in a transitional phase, it is in the process of acquiring its own licences. Therefore, as far as we have been told, there is no legal hindrance as to issuing an air operator’s licence for ajet.”
However, the new company also needs a commercial licence before starting up its charter operations.
Leonidou said he expected an independent committee to award ajet the commercial licence “very soon.”
The news was met with strong reaction from Nicolas Yiasoumi, head of the committee representing the bereaved relatives.
Yiasoumi reiterated the accusation that Civil Aviation had demonstrated “excessive zeal” in expediting the processing of ajet’s application for a licence.
“Even the Transport Minister has admitted as much,” he said.
“Either Civil Aviation does not know what it’s doing, or they don’t want to admit they don’t know.”
The relatives had sent Transport Minister Harris Thrasou a letter demanding that any actions enabling Helios to fly – under any name or guise – be stopped in its tracks. Unless they received a response by yesterday, they had threatened to report the government to EU organs.
The latent charge is that the Cyprus government is not adhering to international aviation rules.
“We are sticking to this deadline,” affirmed Yiasoumi.
“Today we shall be meeting with our lawyers and proceed with filing the report.”
The inquiry into the causes of the disaster, due out in early summer, is likely to find fault with all the involved agencies, including Civil Aviation and Helios.
While not naming names, the probe will implicitly point the finger at people or procedures through an exhaustive account of activities and omissions, both on the ground as well as in the air on the fateful day.
The report is to be scrutinised by an independent, government-appointed commission that will then decide whether criminal proceedings are necessary.
Press reports yesterday said the probe was more or less ready, but first needed to be translated into Greek, as it has been written in English, the official language of the aviation industry.
Anticipation of the report’s release has heightened anxiety among relatives and rekindled painful memories of their loss, especially following a memorial service this weekend marking nine months since the disaster.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Therefore, it is being posted here and is an update on the name change fracas as reported by the Cyprus Mail today:
Relatives’ fury at ajet licence
By Elias Hazou
AJET, the successor airline to disaster-stricken Helios Airways, yesterday got the thumbs-up to start flights, even as relatives of the air crash victims vowed to take action against the government within the EU.
Back in March ajet had applied to Civil Aviation for a licence and has since been using the assets and flight code of Helios. The company had also applied for an Air Operator’s Licence to operate as a charter airline.
Helios says it had long contemplated changing its business model and denied this was a ploy to evade justice. And it cited corporate law, according to which ultimately, any liability claims are guaranteed by Helios’ insurers.
In the meantime, Helios’ planes have been flying under the ajet livery but with the Helios ZU flight codes; even more confusingly, Helios as a business entity has been stricken from the records of the Registrar of Companies.
But the families and friends of the people who perished aboard flight ZU522 last August are outraged that the airline should change its name and image – let alone operate – while the jury is still out on whether the company was responsible for the disaster.
Their lawyer has also argued that, according to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) regulations, an airline with a crash record must undergo all technical and security inspections from scratch, and that clearly this was not done in the case of Helios.
With feelings of bitterness still running high, Civil Aviation yesterday announced that it had okayed the issuing of an air operator’s licence to ajet.
The department’s head Leonidas Leonidou told state radio that the department would be making a “favourable recommendation” to the Transport Ministry for the licence.
Their decision was based on the legal opinion of the Attorney-general, he added.
According to Leonidou, it was perfectly normal for an airline to fly with certificates under a different name.
“The company is in a transitional phase, it is in the process of acquiring its own licences. Therefore, as far as we have been told, there is no legal hindrance as to issuing an air operator’s licence for ajet.”
However, the new company also needs a commercial licence before starting up its charter operations.
Leonidou said he expected an independent committee to award ajet the commercial licence “very soon.”
The news was met with strong reaction from Nicolas Yiasoumi, head of the committee representing the bereaved relatives.
Yiasoumi reiterated the accusation that Civil Aviation had demonstrated “excessive zeal” in expediting the processing of ajet’s application for a licence.
“Even the Transport Minister has admitted as much,” he said.
“Either Civil Aviation does not know what it’s doing, or they don’t want to admit they don’t know.”
The relatives had sent Transport Minister Harris Thrasou a letter demanding that any actions enabling Helios to fly – under any name or guise – be stopped in its tracks. Unless they received a response by yesterday, they had threatened to report the government to EU organs.
The latent charge is that the Cyprus government is not adhering to international aviation rules.
“We are sticking to this deadline,” affirmed Yiasoumi.
“Today we shall be meeting with our lawyers and proceed with filing the report.”
The inquiry into the causes of the disaster, due out in early summer, is likely to find fault with all the involved agencies, including Civil Aviation and Helios.
While not naming names, the probe will implicitly point the finger at people or procedures through an exhaustive account of activities and omissions, both on the ground as well as in the air on the fateful day.
The report is to be scrutinised by an independent, government-appointed commission that will then decide whether criminal proceedings are necessary.
Press reports yesterday said the probe was more or less ready, but first needed to be translated into Greek, as it has been written in English, the official language of the aviation industry.
Anticipation of the report’s release has heightened anxiety among relatives and rekindled painful memories of their loss, especially following a memorial service this weekend marking nine months since the disaster.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: London
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ajet by any other name would smell as sweet (?)
Before the disaster, after
Windscale Sellafield
Long Kesh The Maze
ValuJet Air Tran
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Windsor
Battenburg Mountbatten
Before the disaster, after
Windscale Sellafield
Long Kesh The Maze
ValuJet Air Tran
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Windsor
Battenburg Mountbatten
Per Ardua ad Astraeus
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 18,579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mt. Olympus
Age: 59
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Official Report handed over today
My brief from today's Greek press and radio:
Tsolakis officially handed over The Report to the Cypriot Authorities today.
According to the same news sources (AP), the Report was also forwarded to the NTSB and the "equivalent French Investigative Committee" and is also to be sent to Boeing and Helios
They all have 60 days to comment, according to international procedure and requirements.
Tsolakis said the the Report contains a full analysis of the causes that lead to the crash as well as recommendations to flight safety.
Tsolakis also commented that while the report is confidential at present, it will be made public on July 18 (well before the [quote] "morally time-limiting date of August 14" [unquote] which is the date of the tragic accident).
Tsolakis politely refused to comment further on the content of the report.
TR
----------------------------
ThinkRate! ThinkRate! Don't Think!
Tsolakis officially handed over The Report to the Cypriot Authorities today.
According to the same news sources (AP), the Report was also forwarded to the NTSB and the "equivalent French Investigative Committee" and is also to be sent to Boeing and Helios
They all have 60 days to comment, according to international procedure and requirements.
Tsolakis said the the Report contains a full analysis of the causes that lead to the crash as well as recommendations to flight safety.
Tsolakis also commented that while the report is confidential at present, it will be made public on July 18 (well before the [quote] "morally time-limiting date of August 14" [unquote] which is the date of the tragic accident).
Tsolakis politely refused to comment further on the content of the report.
TR
----------------------------
ThinkRate! ThinkRate! Don't Think!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here are some details on the investigation report that was just submitted. This is from the Cyprus Mail online edition of 19 May.
Helios crash report handed to the government
By John Leonidou
‘We are not reporting on who is to blame, but what caused the crash’
CHIEF air accident investigator Akrivos Tsolakis yesterday officially handed over his draft report on the crash of Helios Airways flight ZU 522 to the Cyprus government.
The 200-page report, which the Greek investigator wants to make public on the one-year anniversary of the crash – August 14 – was given to the head of the Cypriot crash investigation committee Costas Orphanos in the presence of President Tassos Papadopoulos at the Presidential Palace yesterday in Nicosia.
The report outlines the series of events that led to the crash of the Boeing 737 in Grammatikos in Greece last August, killing all 121 passengers and crew members, most of them Cypriot families going on holiday. It also examines many elements in relation to air safety.
It will be returned to Tsolakis in 60 days with comments from the Cypriot crash investigation committee.
Tsolakis said comments that were accepted would then be incorporated into the report, which would then be made public under the name ‘Final Report’ by the latest on August 14, the most fitting time to release the report, he said.
“I reiterate once more that we are not reporting on who is to blame but rather what caused the crash. That was our mission – to assemble the causes of what caused the crash,” Tsolakis said.
He told reporters that the completion of the report in Athens had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders, adding that the last nine months had been a very daunting and sad experience for him.
“I believe that in the end the victims will have some questions answered, at least when it comes to the causes of the crash.”
Orphanos said yesterday the recent name change of Helios Airways to A-Jet would have no bearing on the investigation.
“Two copies of the report are to be made and one of the copies will be handed to the company involved in the crash, which to the committee is the company with the name Helios. The other copy will be kept and reviewed by the committee,” he said.
Orphanos said that as far as the crash was concerned, the company Helios did exist and that matters concerning anything else did not concern the air accident investigation.
But while Tsolakis said his report would not pin blame, the Head of the Helios Relatives Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, wanted those responsible to be brought to justice.
“This report has been handed in at a time when the President of the Republic has launched an investigative committee headed by Mr [Panayiotis] Kallis to determine the exact reasons behind the crash.
“We expect work to begin now that the report has been handed in so as to determine what caused the crash and who needs to be brought to justice.”
Government Spokesman George Lillikas yesterday said the government was “pleased” with Tsolakis’ efficient and timely completion of the report
“Mr. Tsolakis and his committee have worked very hard and at great speed so that they could complete their task at the soonest possible time. I would like reiterate the President’s commitment for a full investigation into the matter and for action to be taken against those responsible, without any exception.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Helios crash report handed to the government
By John Leonidou
‘We are not reporting on who is to blame, but what caused the crash’
CHIEF air accident investigator Akrivos Tsolakis yesterday officially handed over his draft report on the crash of Helios Airways flight ZU 522 to the Cyprus government.
The 200-page report, which the Greek investigator wants to make public on the one-year anniversary of the crash – August 14 – was given to the head of the Cypriot crash investigation committee Costas Orphanos in the presence of President Tassos Papadopoulos at the Presidential Palace yesterday in Nicosia.
The report outlines the series of events that led to the crash of the Boeing 737 in Grammatikos in Greece last August, killing all 121 passengers and crew members, most of them Cypriot families going on holiday. It also examines many elements in relation to air safety.
It will be returned to Tsolakis in 60 days with comments from the Cypriot crash investigation committee.
Tsolakis said comments that were accepted would then be incorporated into the report, which would then be made public under the name ‘Final Report’ by the latest on August 14, the most fitting time to release the report, he said.
“I reiterate once more that we are not reporting on who is to blame but rather what caused the crash. That was our mission – to assemble the causes of what caused the crash,” Tsolakis said.
He told reporters that the completion of the report in Athens had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders, adding that the last nine months had been a very daunting and sad experience for him.
“I believe that in the end the victims will have some questions answered, at least when it comes to the causes of the crash.”
Orphanos said yesterday the recent name change of Helios Airways to A-Jet would have no bearing on the investigation.
“Two copies of the report are to be made and one of the copies will be handed to the company involved in the crash, which to the committee is the company with the name Helios. The other copy will be kept and reviewed by the committee,” he said.
Orphanos said that as far as the crash was concerned, the company Helios did exist and that matters concerning anything else did not concern the air accident investigation.
But while Tsolakis said his report would not pin blame, the Head of the Helios Relatives Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, wanted those responsible to be brought to justice.
“This report has been handed in at a time when the President of the Republic has launched an investigative committee headed by Mr [Panayiotis] Kallis to determine the exact reasons behind the crash.
“We expect work to begin now that the report has been handed in so as to determine what caused the crash and who needs to be brought to justice.”
Government Spokesman George Lillikas yesterday said the government was “pleased” with Tsolakis’ efficient and timely completion of the report
“Mr. Tsolakis and his committee have worked very hard and at great speed so that they could complete their task at the soonest possible time. I would like reiterate the President’s commitment for a full investigation into the matter and for action to be taken against those responsible, without any exception.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: South Africa
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cypriot crash report blames human error
Not my opinion-merely a report found on www.airwise.com
May 19, 2006
Human error led to a Cypriot airliner crashing near Athens last August, killing all 121 people aboard, according to an official report leaked to the Greek media on Friday.
The report indicates technicians in Cyprus, checking the decompression system following problems on an earlier flight, forgot to switch on its automatic activation.
Once airborne, pilots forgot to check whether the system was switched on automatic or manual, according to the draft report by the Greek accidents investigation committee.
As a consequence, the higher the plane flew the less oxygen was in the cabin, causing everyone aboard, except for a steward, to become unconscious.
The report said even if the steward, using portable oxygen bottles, had managed to land the plane all the passengers would have been dead because of a lack of oxygen.
There was no comment from Cypriot authorities on the report.
The committee was investigating why the Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 had crashed on a flight from Cyprus to Prague.
The committee delivered the dossier to Cypriot authorities on Thursday. The Cypriots have 60 days to include their own findings before a final report is published.
Long suspected to have suffered a loss of cabin pressure, the plane was on autopilot for more than two hours. A steward with a trainee pilot's license was grappling at its controls.
Trailed by two Greek fighters which scrambled when the plane lost radio contact, it crashed into a mountain north of Athens after running out of fuel.
Leaked to several newspapers, the report blames the Cyprus civil aviation authority for not following international safety checks and criticizes the airline for a lack of attention to air safety.
Ajet, the successor company to Helios, said it would comment on the draft report within a specified 60 day deadline.
"Our commitment to cooperate fully with the accident investigators stems from our sincere desire to establish the true causes of this tragic accident," it said in a statement.
"We are required to keep the contents of the draft report confidential, hence we shall not be commenting on any issues that may be reported, until the publication of the final report."
(Reuters)
http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1148076455.html
May 19, 2006
Human error led to a Cypriot airliner crashing near Athens last August, killing all 121 people aboard, according to an official report leaked to the Greek media on Friday.
The report indicates technicians in Cyprus, checking the decompression system following problems on an earlier flight, forgot to switch on its automatic activation.
Once airborne, pilots forgot to check whether the system was switched on automatic or manual, according to the draft report by the Greek accidents investigation committee.
As a consequence, the higher the plane flew the less oxygen was in the cabin, causing everyone aboard, except for a steward, to become unconscious.
The report said even if the steward, using portable oxygen bottles, had managed to land the plane all the passengers would have been dead because of a lack of oxygen.
There was no comment from Cypriot authorities on the report.
The committee was investigating why the Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 had crashed on a flight from Cyprus to Prague.
The committee delivered the dossier to Cypriot authorities on Thursday. The Cypriots have 60 days to include their own findings before a final report is published.
Long suspected to have suffered a loss of cabin pressure, the plane was on autopilot for more than two hours. A steward with a trainee pilot's license was grappling at its controls.
Trailed by two Greek fighters which scrambled when the plane lost radio contact, it crashed into a mountain north of Athens after running out of fuel.
Leaked to several newspapers, the report blames the Cyprus civil aviation authority for not following international safety checks and criticizes the airline for a lack of attention to air safety.
Ajet, the successor company to Helios, said it would comment on the draft report within a specified 60 day deadline.
"Our commitment to cooperate fully with the accident investigators stems from our sincere desire to establish the true causes of this tragic accident," it said in a statement.
"We are required to keep the contents of the draft report confidential, hence we shall not be commenting on any issues that may be reported, until the publication of the final report."
(Reuters)
http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1148076455.html
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,929
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
interesting article about hypoxia awareness training here:
http://www.flyingmag.com/article.asp...article_id=641
http://www.flyingmag.com/article.asp...article_id=641
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cypriot investigator to have two assistants, so sayeth the Cyprus Mail online edition today.
Cypriot air crash investigator sworn in
By John Leonidou
FORMER Supreme Court Judge Panayiotis Kallis was yesterday officially sworn in as the head of the government-appointed Cypriot Air Crash Committee.
On May 10, the Cabinet approved the appointment of an independent Investigative Committee to determine the causes of last August’s Helios Airways crash, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers on board.
Kallis is expected to begin work on the investigations in six days’ time.
Kallis said yesterday he would do everything possible to make sure his investigation was finalised quickly, without putting a time limit on how long he expected his investigation to take.
That would depend on how long it would take to conduct the necessary questioning and statements that would need to be taken, he told reporters. The former judge will soon draw up a list of the people that he will be calling on to testify and give statements on record.
He also made it known that he would soon be issuing an announcement calling on anyone who may have any knowledge surrounding the incident to contact his committee.
The final reports of the Cypriot Air Crash Committee are to be submitted to the Cabinet and then to Attorney-general Petros Clerides – the only official allowed to bring possible criminal charges against individuals pinpointed in the report, Kallis explained.
Kallis, who will be assisted by Greek expert appraisers Elias Nicolaides and Georgios Bonnis, did not rule out the possibility of calling up politicians to make statements.
Communications Minister Haris Thrasou said yesterday the committee had been given all the necessary green lights to allow it them to make a complete and thorough investigation.
Asked by reporters if Kallis’ report might not clash with that submitted last week to the government by Greek Air Crash Committee head Akrivos Tsolakis, the Minister said he would respect the outcome of both reports.
“The report will look into the series of events during the flight but will also look into whether other necessary measures and precautions were followed around the time of the disaster,” said Thrasou.
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Haris Thrasou said yesterday that Civil Aviation would soon be deciding on whether to allow Helios Airways’ request to change its name to ajet.
The decision has angered relatives of the Helios victims, who are accusing the airline of trying to escape any possible charges that may be brought against the airline. They have been involved in a public row with Thrasou, who they say is not doing anything to stop the airline from attempting to change its name.
“I reiterate once more that the Civil Aviation has not given any aviation licences to Helios Airways to allow the airline to fly under the name of ajet”.
He added that he shared the same view as President Tassos Papadopoulos and Attorney-general Petros Clerides, who have both stated that the name change would not exonerate the airline of any possible blame.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Cypriot air crash investigator sworn in
By John Leonidou
FORMER Supreme Court Judge Panayiotis Kallis was yesterday officially sworn in as the head of the government-appointed Cypriot Air Crash Committee.
On May 10, the Cabinet approved the appointment of an independent Investigative Committee to determine the causes of last August’s Helios Airways crash, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers on board.
Kallis is expected to begin work on the investigations in six days’ time.
Kallis said yesterday he would do everything possible to make sure his investigation was finalised quickly, without putting a time limit on how long he expected his investigation to take.
That would depend on how long it would take to conduct the necessary questioning and statements that would need to be taken, he told reporters. The former judge will soon draw up a list of the people that he will be calling on to testify and give statements on record.
He also made it known that he would soon be issuing an announcement calling on anyone who may have any knowledge surrounding the incident to contact his committee.
The final reports of the Cypriot Air Crash Committee are to be submitted to the Cabinet and then to Attorney-general Petros Clerides – the only official allowed to bring possible criminal charges against individuals pinpointed in the report, Kallis explained.
Kallis, who will be assisted by Greek expert appraisers Elias Nicolaides and Georgios Bonnis, did not rule out the possibility of calling up politicians to make statements.
Communications Minister Haris Thrasou said yesterday the committee had been given all the necessary green lights to allow it them to make a complete and thorough investigation.
Asked by reporters if Kallis’ report might not clash with that submitted last week to the government by Greek Air Crash Committee head Akrivos Tsolakis, the Minister said he would respect the outcome of both reports.
“The report will look into the series of events during the flight but will also look into whether other necessary measures and precautions were followed around the time of the disaster,” said Thrasou.
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Haris Thrasou said yesterday that Civil Aviation would soon be deciding on whether to allow Helios Airways’ request to change its name to ajet.
The decision has angered relatives of the Helios victims, who are accusing the airline of trying to escape any possible charges that may be brought against the airline. They have been involved in a public row with Thrasou, who they say is not doing anything to stop the airline from attempting to change its name.
“I reiterate once more that the Civil Aviation has not given any aviation licences to Helios Airways to allow the airline to fly under the name of ajet”.
He added that he shared the same view as President Tassos Papadopoulos and Attorney-general Petros Clerides, who have both stated that the name change would not exonerate the airline of any possible blame.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
According to yesterday's Cyprus Mail online edition, the Discovery Channel's documentary on the Helios crash is due to be broadcast in August.
Tsolakis dismisses documentary re-enactment
By John Leonidou
THE HEAD of the Greek air accident committee, Akrivos Tsolakis, yesterday told the Cyprus Mail he was skeptical as to whether Discovery Channel’s documentary on the Helios crash, to be aired this August, would be based on the actual facts of what happened on August 14 last year.
Discovery Channel have researched and filmed the documentary on the crash, ahead of publication of Tsolakis’ final report. The documentary features interviews and a re-enactment of the crash with actors.
Last August, Cypriot airliner Helios Airways flight ZU 522 crashed outside Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board.
Tsolakis said yesterday there was nothing that could be done about the documentary.
“Life goes on and we cannot stop progress and the endeavours of those channels to re-enact such things. It wouldn’t be the first time, and they have re-enacted most of the major accidents that have happened in the past.
“They should, however, have done the re-enactment after the final report had been published and not before. They should be presenting the whole event in the most proper way without resorting to the imagination.”
The Greek investigator said it was unlikely for the producers of the documentary to have a clear image of what happened.
“I don’t know if they have the information and data which is necessary for such an endeavour because this data is still under juridical protection. There is no permission given by the prosecutor to release the data which is still in our hands – and I can assure you that they are still in our hands and are guarded properly.”
He added: “If they release a story which has no data and no facts then it will be just a story.”
‘No conflicts between crash committees’
Tsolakis insisted also that there could be no possible conflict between his investigating committee and the investigating committee in Cyprus, headed by Costas Orphanos.
He added that both committees would be acting on the Greek crash report and that conflicts could simply not arise.
“Any comment on the report is welcome within the 60 days required for the report to be reviewed; if something is acceptable and we believe that it has to be included on our final report then it will be done,” said Tsolakis.
“Items that we don’t accept will just be submitted along with the final report. So everything is under the light of the sun and nothing is secret. There is the absolute right of the Cypriot board and the American board to express their views and their views will be highly respected. There is no conflict involved. We are simply trying to produce the best possible final report having heard the opinions of all the parties involved.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Tsolakis dismisses documentary re-enactment
By John Leonidou
THE HEAD of the Greek air accident committee, Akrivos Tsolakis, yesterday told the Cyprus Mail he was skeptical as to whether Discovery Channel’s documentary on the Helios crash, to be aired this August, would be based on the actual facts of what happened on August 14 last year.
Discovery Channel have researched and filmed the documentary on the crash, ahead of publication of Tsolakis’ final report. The documentary features interviews and a re-enactment of the crash with actors.
Last August, Cypriot airliner Helios Airways flight ZU 522 crashed outside Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board.
Tsolakis said yesterday there was nothing that could be done about the documentary.
“Life goes on and we cannot stop progress and the endeavours of those channels to re-enact such things. It wouldn’t be the first time, and they have re-enacted most of the major accidents that have happened in the past.
“They should, however, have done the re-enactment after the final report had been published and not before. They should be presenting the whole event in the most proper way without resorting to the imagination.”
The Greek investigator said it was unlikely for the producers of the documentary to have a clear image of what happened.
“I don’t know if they have the information and data which is necessary for such an endeavour because this data is still under juridical protection. There is no permission given by the prosecutor to release the data which is still in our hands – and I can assure you that they are still in our hands and are guarded properly.”
He added: “If they release a story which has no data and no facts then it will be just a story.”
‘No conflicts between crash committees’
Tsolakis insisted also that there could be no possible conflict between his investigating committee and the investigating committee in Cyprus, headed by Costas Orphanos.
He added that both committees would be acting on the Greek crash report and that conflicts could simply not arise.
“Any comment on the report is welcome within the 60 days required for the report to be reviewed; if something is acceptable and we believe that it has to be included on our final report then it will be done,” said Tsolakis.
“Items that we don’t accept will just be submitted along with the final report. So everything is under the light of the sun and nothing is secret. There is the absolute right of the Cypriot board and the American board to express their views and their views will be highly respected. There is no conflict involved. We are simply trying to produce the best possible final report having heard the opinions of all the parties involved.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Cypriot independent investigation now stalled, according to Cyprus Mail online edition:
Helios crash investigation stops before it even starts
By John Leonidou
AN INDEPENDENT investigation aimed at finding those responsible for the Helios crash came to a grinding halt yesterday under unexpected circumstances.
The probe was set to start yesterday morning but in a startling turn of events, the head of the committee Panayiotis Kallis decided to postpone the investigation after the lawyers of ajet, the company formerly known as Helios Airways, objected to the appointment of two Greek experts who were assigned to assist Kallis in his investigation.
Kallis’ decision has prompted an angry response from the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee.
On August 14 last year, Cypriot airliner Helios Airways crashed into a mountainside just north of Athens killing all 121 passengers and crew members on board. Most of the victims were Cypriot families going on holiday.
Reports suggest that the crash was caused by a combination of pilot errors, decompression problems and a problematic alarm system.
On May 10 this year, the cabinet had appointed Kallis, a former Supreme Court judge, to head a committee aimed at bringing those responsible for the crash to justice. The cabinet had also appointed George Bonnis and Elias Nicolaides to aid Kallis in the investigations because of their vast experience in aviation matters.
All three officials were officially sworn in on May 24.
The procedures set to take place are believed to be similar to procedures followed in civil courts.
But Helios’ lawyers argue that the two experts may bias the investigations because they were part of Akrivos Tsolakis’ investigating team appointed by the Greek government to find out what caused the crash of Helios Airways flight ZU 522.
Nicolaides is a former co-pilot while Bonnis is a former mechanic. They both used to work for Greek airline Olympic Airways.
The defence team of Helios, made up of lawyers from the office of Chrysis-Demetriades, sent a written letter to Kallis informing him of their objections.
Kallis decided to delay investigations until the matter is cleared up, saying that it was now up to the cabinet to decide upon the matter. He added that he was hopeful that the matter would be cleared by shortly.
But that did little to appease the victims’ relatives who yesterday walked out of Kallis’ office disappointed and frustrated with his decision to delay the investigation.
“We have been waiting a long time for this procedure to get under way so those responsible could be taken to court but it appears that the company has objected to something right at the last minute instead of objecting to it earlier,” said the Head of the Victims Relatives Committee Nicolas Yiasoumis.
“That has obviously concerned and frustrated us because we feel that this move has been made for other intentions.”
Meanwhile, the statements have already been submitted to the committee by Police Chief Charalambous Koulentis, the Head of Aircraft Licensing at Cyprus' Civil Aviation Deputy Charalambos Hadjigeorgiou and the Senior Officer of Registrar of Companies at the Commerce Ministry Spyros Kokkinos.
Yiasoumis’ committee had accused the airline of trying to escape any possible charges that may be brought against the airline by the changing the company profile from Helios Airways to a-jet.
They had also been involved in a public row with Communications Minister Harris Thrassou, who they say wrongfully allowed the airline to change its name whilst still under investigation.
Thrassou had defended the civil aviation department’s decision adding that the airline would not be exonerated from any possible blame because of a company name change.
The relatives have since filed an official complaint and are set to take the civil aviation to the European Courts.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Helios crash investigation stops before it even starts
By John Leonidou
AN INDEPENDENT investigation aimed at finding those responsible for the Helios crash came to a grinding halt yesterday under unexpected circumstances.
The probe was set to start yesterday morning but in a startling turn of events, the head of the committee Panayiotis Kallis decided to postpone the investigation after the lawyers of ajet, the company formerly known as Helios Airways, objected to the appointment of two Greek experts who were assigned to assist Kallis in his investigation.
Kallis’ decision has prompted an angry response from the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee.
On August 14 last year, Cypriot airliner Helios Airways crashed into a mountainside just north of Athens killing all 121 passengers and crew members on board. Most of the victims were Cypriot families going on holiday.
Reports suggest that the crash was caused by a combination of pilot errors, decompression problems and a problematic alarm system.
On May 10 this year, the cabinet had appointed Kallis, a former Supreme Court judge, to head a committee aimed at bringing those responsible for the crash to justice. The cabinet had also appointed George Bonnis and Elias Nicolaides to aid Kallis in the investigations because of their vast experience in aviation matters.
All three officials were officially sworn in on May 24.
The procedures set to take place are believed to be similar to procedures followed in civil courts.
But Helios’ lawyers argue that the two experts may bias the investigations because they were part of Akrivos Tsolakis’ investigating team appointed by the Greek government to find out what caused the crash of Helios Airways flight ZU 522.
Nicolaides is a former co-pilot while Bonnis is a former mechanic. They both used to work for Greek airline Olympic Airways.
The defence team of Helios, made up of lawyers from the office of Chrysis-Demetriades, sent a written letter to Kallis informing him of their objections.
Kallis decided to delay investigations until the matter is cleared up, saying that it was now up to the cabinet to decide upon the matter. He added that he was hopeful that the matter would be cleared by shortly.
But that did little to appease the victims’ relatives who yesterday walked out of Kallis’ office disappointed and frustrated with his decision to delay the investigation.
“We have been waiting a long time for this procedure to get under way so those responsible could be taken to court but it appears that the company has objected to something right at the last minute instead of objecting to it earlier,” said the Head of the Victims Relatives Committee Nicolas Yiasoumis.
“That has obviously concerned and frustrated us because we feel that this move has been made for other intentions.”
Meanwhile, the statements have already been submitted to the committee by Police Chief Charalambous Koulentis, the Head of Aircraft Licensing at Cyprus' Civil Aviation Deputy Charalambos Hadjigeorgiou and the Senior Officer of Registrar of Companies at the Commerce Ministry Spyros Kokkinos.
Yiasoumis’ committee had accused the airline of trying to escape any possible charges that may be brought against the airline by the changing the company profile from Helios Airways to a-jet.
They had also been involved in a public row with Communications Minister Harris Thrassou, who they say wrongfully allowed the airline to change its name whilst still under investigation.
Thrassou had defended the civil aviation department’s decision adding that the airline would not be exonerated from any possible blame because of a company name change.
The relatives have since filed an official complaint and are set to take the civil aviation to the European Courts.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After a two-week delay, the local Cypriot investigation of the Helios crash is now underway. I would expect that there will be frequent articles appearing in the Cyprus Mail, similar to the following from today's online edition.
Inquiry hears of ‘poor staffing and communications problems’ in Civil Aviation
By Alexia Saoulli
THE COMMITTEE of inquiry for last year’s tragic Helios plane crash yesterday heard the Civil Aviation department was insufficiently staffed, lacked organisation and had difficulty meeting its obligations.
The assessment was made by department head Leonidas Leonidou who was called to testify as part of the local probe into the airline disaster which killed 121 passengers and crew members last August.
Reports suggest that the crash was caused by a combination of pilot errors, decompression problems and a problematic alarm system.
In his testimony, Leonidou, who was appointed head of department just under two months after the crash, told the committee the fact that the department came under the Communication Ministry often hindered procedures. He said it was his estimation that perhaps the department would operate more efficiently if it were an independent authority.
During yesterday’s proceedings former Supreme Court judge Panayiotis Kallis, who heads the committee, read out extracts of letters and reports from foreign aviation organisations that pointed out the severe shortcomings of the department regarding the correct supervision of the airline with respect to problems that could have put flight safety at possible risk.
Specifically Leonidou heard extracts from five letters and reports from foreign organisations, including the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the UK Civil Aviation Organisation, which found severe problems with the way the local aviation department supervised Helios.
According to CyBC, a letter from the UK Civil Aviation Organisation dated July 2004 drew attention to what problems the airline needed to address to improve flight safety. According to the report the UK body had downgraded the report from a Level 1 safety issue, to a Level 2 issue, so as to give Helios time in which to comply with the report’s observations. The airline was given a month to comply.
Due to the date of Leonidou’s appointment to the position of department head he was unable to answer a lot of the committee’s questions.
The inquiry proceedings will continue today.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Inquiry hears of ‘poor staffing and communications problems’ in Civil Aviation
By Alexia Saoulli
THE COMMITTEE of inquiry for last year’s tragic Helios plane crash yesterday heard the Civil Aviation department was insufficiently staffed, lacked organisation and had difficulty meeting its obligations.
The assessment was made by department head Leonidas Leonidou who was called to testify as part of the local probe into the airline disaster which killed 121 passengers and crew members last August.
Reports suggest that the crash was caused by a combination of pilot errors, decompression problems and a problematic alarm system.
In his testimony, Leonidou, who was appointed head of department just under two months after the crash, told the committee the fact that the department came under the Communication Ministry often hindered procedures. He said it was his estimation that perhaps the department would operate more efficiently if it were an independent authority.
During yesterday’s proceedings former Supreme Court judge Panayiotis Kallis, who heads the committee, read out extracts of letters and reports from foreign aviation organisations that pointed out the severe shortcomings of the department regarding the correct supervision of the airline with respect to problems that could have put flight safety at possible risk.
Specifically Leonidou heard extracts from five letters and reports from foreign organisations, including the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the UK Civil Aviation Organisation, which found severe problems with the way the local aviation department supervised Helios.
According to CyBC, a letter from the UK Civil Aviation Organisation dated July 2004 drew attention to what problems the airline needed to address to improve flight safety. According to the report the UK body had downgraded the report from a Level 1 safety issue, to a Level 2 issue, so as to give Helios time in which to comply with the report’s observations. The airline was given a month to comply.
Due to the date of Leonidou’s appointment to the position of department head he was unable to answer a lot of the committee’s questions.
The inquiry proceedings will continue today.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Today's Cyprus Mail online edition posts its own article on the suspension of the Cypriot inquiry until August, plus they post several excerpts from the Greek Press.
Local Helios probe adjourned until August
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
LOCAL investigations into last August’s Helios Airways crash stalled again yesterday after yet another problem appeared during depositions to the Cypriot investigative team.
The procedures have now been adjourned until August 28, as the Helios lawyers said they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses until they had seen and studied the accident report carried out by the Greek Air Accident Investigating Committee headed by Akrivos Tsolakis.
The President of the Cypriot investigation, Panayiotis Kallis, felt the company’s request was justified and ordered the postponement.
Helios lawyer Demetris Araouzos had said he wasn't in a position to observe and participate in the proceedings because he didn't have the document on which the committee was basing its investigation.
He added that he couldn’t ask the questions he wanted to ask without knowing the contents of the report.
It was unheard of for there to be an investigation without the documents being available to all parties involved, Araouzos said.
Kallis then adjourned for five minutes, before coming back to announce that the testimonies would resume in August when the complete report would be available to all the parties involved. He did specify, however, that the report was binding and that the Helios lawyers’ questions would not alter it in any way. Kallis’ decision was final.
Relatives of the crash victims said they were disappointed at the development.
Spokesman for the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, accused the company of finding excuses to delay proceedings.
“The fact that the investigative committee’s proceedings have been postponed saddens us immensely, because just where things had started taking their correct course, another obstacle was created,” he said.
“From the beginning we feared the company would continuously invoke pretexts to delay the procedures,” Yiasoumis added.
The relatives’ spokesman said the matter would be discussed by the committee later in the day at an extraordinary meeting, in the presence of their legal advisors.
The investigative committee should have anticipated this problem, Yiasoumis concluded.
In his testimony earlier yesterday, the president of the Cypriot Investigative Committee into Air Accidents and Incidents, Costas Orfanos, estimated that Tsolakis’ final report would be published before August 14 – the anniversary of last year’s crash which killed all 121 passengers and crew members on board.
Orfanos submitted four documents concerning inspections of Helios planes by British experts working for the Civil Aviation Department during 2004-2005, before the tragedy.
Orfanos was questioned by the Helios lawyer, but didn’t give answers concerning Tsolakis’ report.
“I haven’t answered any questions that concern the preliminary report, which we have in our possession,” Orfanos told reporters after the session. “We are discussing and studying it and we are hoping that within the next four or five days we will be able to submit our final opinions to the Greek committee so the preliminary report can become final and be published.”
President of the Cyprus Civil Aviation Department, Leonidas Leonidou, yesterday repeated his claims that at the time of the crash there had been serious shortcomings at the Department.
He stressed, however, that the department had since been modernised to a degree that it would no longer need guidance from foreign experts. At the same time, he assured the Committee that the department had total control over airlines on matters of safety.
“What needs to be said is that at the moment, independent of the shortcomings it had in the past, the Department is on the road of restructuring and is completely and sufficiently controlling the three companies that are operating in Cyprus,” Leonidou said.
“All checks that need to be carried out, according to European standards, are taking place,” he added.
At the moment, there are just two properly qualified inspectors at the department and they are in the process of training three more, said Leonidou.
“I believe that the department’s form needs to change. We must follow the international prototypes so the department can progress further,” he concluded.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILELEFTHEROS: “Civil Aviation caught with its pants down”. The daily led with the ongoing inquiry into last August’s air crash that cost the lives of 121 people. This week the investigating commission got hold of some “shocking evidence”, the paper says, pointing to “problems of the first degree” with disaster-struck Helios Airways. Based on documents submitted to the committee by current Civil Aviation head Leonidas Leonidou, it can be inferred that the government department played down Helios’ problems so as not to be forced to revoke the airline’s licence.
ALITHIA: “Criminal negligence by Civil Aviation”. Another take on the inquiry, with the paper being especially critical of Civil Aviation for “cushioning” Helios, an airline the paper says was ‘rife with problems’. This emerged after the current director of Civil Aviation testified before the committee of inquiry. Elsewhere, the paper notes that opposition DISY has decided not to return to the National Council unless drastic changes are made to that body.
HARAVGHI: “Warnings fall on deaf ears”. The communist party mouthpiece also concentrated on the inquiry into the Helios air crash. The paper said that the Civil Aviation department ignored repeated warnings from international aviation and air safety organisations about Helios’ practices. To many, these revelations confirm speculation that the department may be one of the guilty parties for last year’s disaster.
Local Helios probe adjourned until August
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
LOCAL investigations into last August’s Helios Airways crash stalled again yesterday after yet another problem appeared during depositions to the Cypriot investigative team.
The procedures have now been adjourned until August 28, as the Helios lawyers said they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses until they had seen and studied the accident report carried out by the Greek Air Accident Investigating Committee headed by Akrivos Tsolakis.
The President of the Cypriot investigation, Panayiotis Kallis, felt the company’s request was justified and ordered the postponement.
Helios lawyer Demetris Araouzos had said he wasn't in a position to observe and participate in the proceedings because he didn't have the document on which the committee was basing its investigation.
He added that he couldn’t ask the questions he wanted to ask without knowing the contents of the report.
It was unheard of for there to be an investigation without the documents being available to all parties involved, Araouzos said.
Kallis then adjourned for five minutes, before coming back to announce that the testimonies would resume in August when the complete report would be available to all the parties involved. He did specify, however, that the report was binding and that the Helios lawyers’ questions would not alter it in any way. Kallis’ decision was final.
Relatives of the crash victims said they were disappointed at the development.
Spokesman for the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, accused the company of finding excuses to delay proceedings.
“The fact that the investigative committee’s proceedings have been postponed saddens us immensely, because just where things had started taking their correct course, another obstacle was created,” he said.
“From the beginning we feared the company would continuously invoke pretexts to delay the procedures,” Yiasoumis added.
The relatives’ spokesman said the matter would be discussed by the committee later in the day at an extraordinary meeting, in the presence of their legal advisors.
The investigative committee should have anticipated this problem, Yiasoumis concluded.
In his testimony earlier yesterday, the president of the Cypriot Investigative Committee into Air Accidents and Incidents, Costas Orfanos, estimated that Tsolakis’ final report would be published before August 14 – the anniversary of last year’s crash which killed all 121 passengers and crew members on board.
Orfanos submitted four documents concerning inspections of Helios planes by British experts working for the Civil Aviation Department during 2004-2005, before the tragedy.
Orfanos was questioned by the Helios lawyer, but didn’t give answers concerning Tsolakis’ report.
“I haven’t answered any questions that concern the preliminary report, which we have in our possession,” Orfanos told reporters after the session. “We are discussing and studying it and we are hoping that within the next four or five days we will be able to submit our final opinions to the Greek committee so the preliminary report can become final and be published.”
President of the Cyprus Civil Aviation Department, Leonidas Leonidou, yesterday repeated his claims that at the time of the crash there had been serious shortcomings at the Department.
He stressed, however, that the department had since been modernised to a degree that it would no longer need guidance from foreign experts. At the same time, he assured the Committee that the department had total control over airlines on matters of safety.
“What needs to be said is that at the moment, independent of the shortcomings it had in the past, the Department is on the road of restructuring and is completely and sufficiently controlling the three companies that are operating in Cyprus,” Leonidou said.
“All checks that need to be carried out, according to European standards, are taking place,” he added.
At the moment, there are just two properly qualified inspectors at the department and they are in the process of training three more, said Leonidou.
“I believe that the department’s form needs to change. We must follow the international prototypes so the department can progress further,” he concluded.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILELEFTHEROS: “Civil Aviation caught with its pants down”. The daily led with the ongoing inquiry into last August’s air crash that cost the lives of 121 people. This week the investigating commission got hold of some “shocking evidence”, the paper says, pointing to “problems of the first degree” with disaster-struck Helios Airways. Based on documents submitted to the committee by current Civil Aviation head Leonidas Leonidou, it can be inferred that the government department played down Helios’ problems so as not to be forced to revoke the airline’s licence.
ALITHIA: “Criminal negligence by Civil Aviation”. Another take on the inquiry, with the paper being especially critical of Civil Aviation for “cushioning” Helios, an airline the paper says was ‘rife with problems’. This emerged after the current director of Civil Aviation testified before the committee of inquiry. Elsewhere, the paper notes that opposition DISY has decided not to return to the National Council unless drastic changes are made to that body.
HARAVGHI: “Warnings fall on deaf ears”. The communist party mouthpiece also concentrated on the inquiry into the Helios air crash. The paper said that the Civil Aviation department ignored repeated warnings from international aviation and air safety organisations about Helios’ practices. To many, these revelations confirm speculation that the department may be one of the guilty parties for last year’s disaster.
Pegase Driver
I saw an a-jet 737 recently, Are they really the same airframes as Helios but painted differently ? operated by the same people, maintenance, ops and crews included ? I find this hard to beleive .
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The airline had always planned to change it's livery ever since the takeover by the current owners several months prior to the crash. Cypriot newspapers are being very irresponsable in their reporting of this fact. It helps sell newspapers though.
Anybody in the aviation industry with a level, unbiased head on themselves (and a few of the recent posters don't qualify) can identify with this incident and will learn from the proper findings.
It is arguable as to the contribution that the locked flight deck door made to this unfortunate accident. Many established airlines are putting a lot more thought into the effect the presence of this locked door is having on flight safety.
There are other relevent discussion points that I am sure will come out when the report is released in it's entirety.
I am only trying to bring some balance to the discussion and no, I am not a Helios/Ajet employee.
Anybody in the aviation industry with a level, unbiased head on themselves (and a few of the recent posters don't qualify) can identify with this incident and will learn from the proper findings.
It is arguable as to the contribution that the locked flight deck door made to this unfortunate accident. Many established airlines are putting a lot more thought into the effect the presence of this locked door is having on flight safety.
There are other relevent discussion points that I am sure will come out when the report is released in it's entirety.
I am only trying to bring some balance to the discussion and no, I am not a Helios/Ajet employee.
Pegase Driver
Appreciate your reply Cuillin . In a comm course some years ago I learned that the impressions one has of a fact is more important than the fact itself.
Most airlines continue to operate after a crash, but generally they drastically change things inside as result. When one hastily change livery and name ( even if this was planned before ) after a crash, it gives the bitter impression that one does not want to change things other than the name and color .
We have seen this before in the Land of the Pyramids.
But maybe I am wrong in this case.
On the cockpit door , if the report of the Greek F16 pilot published in Greece is correct ( one never know) then this was not a factor. But let's wait for the final report .
Most airlines continue to operate after a crash, but generally they drastically change things inside as result. When one hastily change livery and name ( even if this was planned before ) after a crash, it gives the bitter impression that one does not want to change things other than the name and color .
We have seen this before in the Land of the Pyramids.
But maybe I am wrong in this case.
On the cockpit door , if the report of the Greek F16 pilot published in Greece is correct ( one never know) then this was not a factor. But let's wait for the final report .
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My guess is that today's article in the Cyprus Mail online edition might be the last that we'll see until either the release of the investigation report to the public, or the reconvening of the Cypriot investigation on 18 August, whichever is first. Personally, I don't understand the reason for the suspension of the local investigation. The Greek investigation report was purportedly delivered to all interested parties. If that's true, then the Helios lawyers should certainly have a copy.
Families repeat frustration over Helios probe delay
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
HELIOS AIRWAYS, in cooperation with the civil aviation department, is purposefully using legal avenues to delay the investigation into last August’s crash and cloud over the exact events, the victims’ relatives said yesterday.
The opinion was voiced following Wednesday’s decision by the Cypriot one-member investigative committee, headed by Panayiotis Kallis, to postpone proceedings yet again.
The reason was the airline’s lawyers’ proclamation that they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses without possessing the final report, conducted by the Greek Investigative Team into Air Accidents, headed by Akrivos Tsolakis.
Communications and Works Minister Harris Thrassou also commented on the decision yesterday, stressing the need for catharsis following the crash, which occurred just outside Athens and killed all 121 passengers and crew members on board.
“A drama has occurred in Cyprus and now there is an urgent need for catharsis,” said the minister. “All the parties involved must help, so that this catharsis can take place as soon as possible,” he added.
Thrassou went on to condemn those who were creating obstacles in the investigation’s proceedings. “All they are achieving is that they are distressing the victims’ relatives, the Civil Aviation and the public opinion in general”.
He promised that the Ministry would do anything it could to help in the investigation and said he hoped the same cooperativeness would be shown by the rest of the parties involved.
“Everyone’s efforts should be centred on the swift elucidation of the matter. The responsibilities should be appointed where they exist and more importantly, there is a need for introspection so we can achieve a state-worthy mechanism that will no longer expose Cyprus abroad,” said Thrassou.
“The matter of restructuring is under great evolution”, he added.
Spokesman for the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, repeated yesterday that the relatives were deeply concerned with the way things are going.
He spoke of deterioration within the proceedings and said there was a mutual covering up of issues by the Civil Aviation Department and Helios.
“Just when you think that things are moving in the right direction, some start making an account of their mistakes and omissions,” said Yiasoumis yesterday.
“Suddenly a barrier has been put up through legal means, which is marring the proceedings at a critical point in the investigation.”
Yiasoumis questioned how the airline could be making comments on the affair – seeing that it received the preliminary report on May 18 – and yet its lawyers couldn’t use it to question witnesses.
“We are observing these attempts to cloud the waters, to cloud the scene, and this concerns us,” said the spokesman for the relatives. “From the moment that the [Cypriot one-member investigative] committee was appointed on the instruction of the President of the Republic, all these possibilities and obstacles should have been predicted and resolved.”
The sense of justice felt by the public when the investigative committee was appointed, has now been destroyed said Yiasoumis.
“In the one week that the committee has been operating, we have seen two postponements, via legalistic approaches and obstacles. And we wouldn’t be at all surprised if even more legal problems push proceedings further back.”
Concluding, Yiasoumis accused the parties involved of trying to convince the public that everything was running smoothly in the investigation’s proceedings.
“We are trying to convey a positive fa?ade on the outside when on the inside there is serious decay.”
Loizos Papacharalambous, the lawyer representing the victims and relatives, said there was no margin for objections.
He mentioned that Helios was in possession of the preliminary report and said as far as he was concerned there was no substantial reason for an issue to be created as at this stage in the proceedings, as the company’s lawyers only needed to submit specifying questions.
”It is a decision that was made by the committee,” said Papacharalambous of Kallis’ decision to postpone the investigation.
“I would not like to comment on whether it was right or wrong, it is respected.
“On the other hand, I believe that the specific document the Helios lawyers were referring to (when they said they could not proceed with questioning), was in their possession, as it was part of the [preliminary] Tsolakis report.”
Therefore, it was very unlikely for there to be any substantial reason why the Helios lawyers couldn’t ask questions of a specifying nature, said Papacharalambous.
“Though at this stage in the procedure, I believe that cross-examining questions are not allowed,” he added.
“I think it is a matter of tactics and that the Helios lawyers wanted to set a frame within which they want to move.”
But he stressed that there was no room for objections. “All we can do is hope proceedings begin immediately on August 18, so that we can see an end to this matter.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Families repeat frustration over Helios probe delay
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
HELIOS AIRWAYS, in cooperation with the civil aviation department, is purposefully using legal avenues to delay the investigation into last August’s crash and cloud over the exact events, the victims’ relatives said yesterday.
The opinion was voiced following Wednesday’s decision by the Cypriot one-member investigative committee, headed by Panayiotis Kallis, to postpone proceedings yet again.
The reason was the airline’s lawyers’ proclamation that they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses without possessing the final report, conducted by the Greek Investigative Team into Air Accidents, headed by Akrivos Tsolakis.
Communications and Works Minister Harris Thrassou also commented on the decision yesterday, stressing the need for catharsis following the crash, which occurred just outside Athens and killed all 121 passengers and crew members on board.
“A drama has occurred in Cyprus and now there is an urgent need for catharsis,” said the minister. “All the parties involved must help, so that this catharsis can take place as soon as possible,” he added.
Thrassou went on to condemn those who were creating obstacles in the investigation’s proceedings. “All they are achieving is that they are distressing the victims’ relatives, the Civil Aviation and the public opinion in general”.
He promised that the Ministry would do anything it could to help in the investigation and said he hoped the same cooperativeness would be shown by the rest of the parties involved.
“Everyone’s efforts should be centred on the swift elucidation of the matter. The responsibilities should be appointed where they exist and more importantly, there is a need for introspection so we can achieve a state-worthy mechanism that will no longer expose Cyprus abroad,” said Thrassou.
“The matter of restructuring is under great evolution”, he added.
Spokesman for the Relatives of the Helios Crash Victims Committee, Nicolas Yiasoumis, repeated yesterday that the relatives were deeply concerned with the way things are going.
He spoke of deterioration within the proceedings and said there was a mutual covering up of issues by the Civil Aviation Department and Helios.
“Just when you think that things are moving in the right direction, some start making an account of their mistakes and omissions,” said Yiasoumis yesterday.
“Suddenly a barrier has been put up through legal means, which is marring the proceedings at a critical point in the investigation.”
Yiasoumis questioned how the airline could be making comments on the affair – seeing that it received the preliminary report on May 18 – and yet its lawyers couldn’t use it to question witnesses.
“We are observing these attempts to cloud the waters, to cloud the scene, and this concerns us,” said the spokesman for the relatives. “From the moment that the [Cypriot one-member investigative] committee was appointed on the instruction of the President of the Republic, all these possibilities and obstacles should have been predicted and resolved.”
The sense of justice felt by the public when the investigative committee was appointed, has now been destroyed said Yiasoumis.
“In the one week that the committee has been operating, we have seen two postponements, via legalistic approaches and obstacles. And we wouldn’t be at all surprised if even more legal problems push proceedings further back.”
Concluding, Yiasoumis accused the parties involved of trying to convince the public that everything was running smoothly in the investigation’s proceedings.
“We are trying to convey a positive fa?ade on the outside when on the inside there is serious decay.”
Loizos Papacharalambous, the lawyer representing the victims and relatives, said there was no margin for objections.
He mentioned that Helios was in possession of the preliminary report and said as far as he was concerned there was no substantial reason for an issue to be created as at this stage in the proceedings, as the company’s lawyers only needed to submit specifying questions.
”It is a decision that was made by the committee,” said Papacharalambous of Kallis’ decision to postpone the investigation.
“I would not like to comment on whether it was right or wrong, it is respected.
“On the other hand, I believe that the specific document the Helios lawyers were referring to (when they said they could not proceed with questioning), was in their possession, as it was part of the [preliminary] Tsolakis report.”
Therefore, it was very unlikely for there to be any substantial reason why the Helios lawyers couldn’t ask questions of a specifying nature, said Papacharalambous.
“Though at this stage in the procedure, I believe that cross-examining questions are not allowed,” he added.
“I think it is a matter of tactics and that the Helios lawyers wanted to set a frame within which they want to move.”
But he stressed that there was no room for objections. “All we can do is hope proceedings begin immediately on August 18, so that we can see an end to this matter.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: tinos greece
Posts: 290
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here is another chapter in this ongoing battle, with resumption of local investigation now due for 28 August.
Helios team questions investigating Judge
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
HELIOS Airways is examining the possibility of requesting the withdrawal of Judge Panayiotis Kallis from the Cypriot investigative committee into last August’s plane crash near Athens, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers and crew on board.
A member of the airline’s legal team, Christos Neocleous, said yesterday the company had asked to be presented with the practicalities of the investigation proceedings so far.
The company believes Kallis unlawfully quoted parts of the preliminary report, drawn up by Greek Air Accident Investigator Akrivos Tsolakis. The Helios lawyer claimed that due to the report’s confidential nature Kallis should not have discussed it during the testimonial proceedings.
Neocleous added that the company’s aim was not to put a halt to the proceedings, but to ensure the correct application of justice.
On Wednesday, Kallis adjourned the investigation until August 28, after the airline’s lawyers said they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses without seeing the contents of the Tsolakis report.
“Kallis clearly justified his decision to adjourn his committee’s activities until August 28”, said Neocleous. “It was because Mr Tsolakis’ preliminary report had been deemed confidential and it was not possible to continue with this procedure without handing out copies to the lawyers.”
But the lawyer said yesterday the adjournment didn’t detract from the fact that Kallis had used the report in the proceedings.
“We are not satisfied [with Kallis’ decision to postpone proceedings]. When the Cabinet decided to appoint the committee, we said we would co-operate and began proving this co-operation with the committee, participating in the procedure”, he said.
“Then, a second problem arose. It was Kallis who used the confidential report, while it was Helios who admitted that the report couldn’t be used and publicised further and asked for the procedure to be interrupted.”
He added that just because the company had received a copy of the preliminary report, it didn’t mean that all the company’s lawyers and members had been informed on its contents.
“Specific members of the company are in the process of studying the report, based on the instructions and regulations that were set by Mr Tsolakis,” said Neocleous.
“We don't want to obstruct any proceedings the state has decided to follow. We are studying all possibilities that will ensure that justice is done under any procedure.”
Neocleous admitted there was a possibility that the company would be turning to the Supreme Court and asking for Kallis’ withdrawal.
“I wouldn't say that Kallis is prejudiced against the company, but from the moment that he is taking part in a procedure, in which, as he admitted, he wrongly used certain things, there are certain legal actions that need to be investigated,” the lawyer said.
“We decided to request the practical details of the committee’s procedure so far, and from the contents the company and its advisors will decide how to act further,” he concluded.
The President of the Cypriot Air Accident Investigation, Costas Orfanos, said yesterday Tsolakis’ report would remain confidential until it was officially released by the Greek Air Accident Investigator.
He said the Cypriot authorities had received two copies of the report and had given one of them to Helios Airways so it could be informed and submit its comments.
“It is our obligation to supply the company with a copy, which we have done, and we are awaiting the company’s comments, which we will then pass on to the Greek committee,” said Orfanos.
“We received two copies: one we kept and studied as the committee, and the other we sent to Helios with a letter specifying that the document’s contents were confidential.”
On behalf of the crash victims’ relatives, Nicolas Yiasoumis, repeated their distaste at the actions by the Helios legal team and branded the company’s latest actions as “sly” and “underhand”.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
Helios team questions investigating Judge
By Jacqueline Theodoulou
HELIOS Airways is examining the possibility of requesting the withdrawal of Judge Panayiotis Kallis from the Cypriot investigative committee into last August’s plane crash near Athens, which claimed the lives of all 121 passengers and crew on board.
A member of the airline’s legal team, Christos Neocleous, said yesterday the company had asked to be presented with the practicalities of the investigation proceedings so far.
The company believes Kallis unlawfully quoted parts of the preliminary report, drawn up by Greek Air Accident Investigator Akrivos Tsolakis. The Helios lawyer claimed that due to the report’s confidential nature Kallis should not have discussed it during the testimonial proceedings.
Neocleous added that the company’s aim was not to put a halt to the proceedings, but to ensure the correct application of justice.
On Wednesday, Kallis adjourned the investigation until August 28, after the airline’s lawyers said they couldn’t proceed with questioning witnesses without seeing the contents of the Tsolakis report.
“Kallis clearly justified his decision to adjourn his committee’s activities until August 28”, said Neocleous. “It was because Mr Tsolakis’ preliminary report had been deemed confidential and it was not possible to continue with this procedure without handing out copies to the lawyers.”
But the lawyer said yesterday the adjournment didn’t detract from the fact that Kallis had used the report in the proceedings.
“We are not satisfied [with Kallis’ decision to postpone proceedings]. When the Cabinet decided to appoint the committee, we said we would co-operate and began proving this co-operation with the committee, participating in the procedure”, he said.
“Then, a second problem arose. It was Kallis who used the confidential report, while it was Helios who admitted that the report couldn’t be used and publicised further and asked for the procedure to be interrupted.”
He added that just because the company had received a copy of the preliminary report, it didn’t mean that all the company’s lawyers and members had been informed on its contents.
“Specific members of the company are in the process of studying the report, based on the instructions and regulations that were set by Mr Tsolakis,” said Neocleous.
“We don't want to obstruct any proceedings the state has decided to follow. We are studying all possibilities that will ensure that justice is done under any procedure.”
Neocleous admitted there was a possibility that the company would be turning to the Supreme Court and asking for Kallis’ withdrawal.
“I wouldn't say that Kallis is prejudiced against the company, but from the moment that he is taking part in a procedure, in which, as he admitted, he wrongly used certain things, there are certain legal actions that need to be investigated,” the lawyer said.
“We decided to request the practical details of the committee’s procedure so far, and from the contents the company and its advisors will decide how to act further,” he concluded.
The President of the Cypriot Air Accident Investigation, Costas Orfanos, said yesterday Tsolakis’ report would remain confidential until it was officially released by the Greek Air Accident Investigator.
He said the Cypriot authorities had received two copies of the report and had given one of them to Helios Airways so it could be informed and submit its comments.
“It is our obligation to supply the company with a copy, which we have done, and we are awaiting the company’s comments, which we will then pass on to the Greek committee,” said Orfanos.
“We received two copies: one we kept and studied as the committee, and the other we sent to Helios with a letter specifying that the document’s contents were confidential.”
On behalf of the crash victims’ relatives, Nicolas Yiasoumis, repeated their distaste at the actions by the Helios legal team and branded the company’s latest actions as “sly” and “underhand”.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2006
The Analog Kid
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Brecon Beacons National Park
Age: 57
Posts: 239
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by ATC Watcher
On the cockpit door , if the report of the Greek F16 pilot published in Greece is correct ( one never know) then this was not a factor. But let's wait for the final report .
Unfortunately, whilst it will probably set certain matters to rest, I'm not sure the final report in this instance is going to be one of the more definitive works to find a place in the aviation safety archives.
Cheers,
Rich.
Pegase Driver
Thanks Rich, I know what you are refering to, but only an exact timing will prove this theory . In one (Press , I agree ) report in Athens it was said that the interception lasted over 30 minutes. It would be interesting to find out at what time eactly the F16 pilot saw movement in the cockpit and at what time the first engine stopped.
But perhaps more interesting is the quote from a press conference from one of the investigator last December who said :
"We have indications that (the steward ) controlled the plane. He took a portable oxygen device and opened the cockpit door using a code," Seraphim Kamoutsis, head of the Greek investigations team, told a news conference after the simulation. (Reuters )
So I am open, until I see the timing of the accident in the final report.
But perhaps more interesting is the quote from a press conference from one of the investigator last December who said :
"We have indications that (the steward ) controlled the plane. He took a portable oxygen device and opened the cockpit door using a code," Seraphim Kamoutsis, head of the Greek investigations team, told a news conference after the simulation. (Reuters )
So I am open, until I see the timing of the accident in the final report.