13th Anniversary of the “Helios Airways flight 552”
Helios Airways Flight 522 was a scheduled passenger flight from Cyprus, to Greece, that crashed on 14 August 2005, killing all 121
passengers and crew on board. A los of cabin pressure incapacitated the crew, leaving the aircraft flying on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and descended into the ground near Grammatiko, Greece.
Helios Flight 552 route
| Accident… | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 August 2005 |
| Summary | Crew incapacitation due to loss of pressurization, followed by fuel exhaustion |
| Site | Grammatiko [Marathon, Greece] |
| Aircraft: | Boeing 735-31S |
| Aircraft name | Olympia |
| Operator | Helios Airway |
| Flight origin | Larnaca International Airport |
| Stopover | Athens International Airport |
| Destination | Prague Ruzyně Int’l Airport, Prague, Czech Republic |
| Passengers | 115 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 121 |
| Survivors | 0 |
It is the deadliest aviation accident in Greek history. Flight 522’s loss marked the 69th crash of a Boeing 737 since it was brought into service in 1968. The crash is the fourth-deadliest involving a 737-300.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Scheduled departure |
| 09:07 | Departs Larnaca International Airport |
| 09:12 | Cabin Altitude Warning sounds at 12,040 feet (3,670 m) |
| 09:14 | Pilots report air conditioning problem |
| 09:20 | Last contact with crew; Altitude is 28,900 feet (8,809 m) |
| 09:23 | Now at 34,000 feet (10,400 m);Probably on autopilot |
| 09:37 | Enters Athens flight information region Nicosia [ATC] informs Athens ATC that radio contact has been lost |
| 10:12–10:50 | No response to radio calls from Athens ATC |
| 10:45 | Scheduled arrival in Athens |
| 10:54 | Athens Joint Rescue Coordination Centre alerted to possible renegade aircraft |
| 11:05 | Two F-16 fighters depart Nea Anchialos |
| 1124 | Located by F-16s over Aegean island of Kea |
| 11:32 | Fighters see co-pilot slumped over, cabin oxygen deployed, no signs of terrorism |
| 11:49 | Fighters see an individual in the cockpit, apparently trying to regain control of aircraft |
| 11:50 | Left engine stops operating, presumably due to fuel starvation |
| 11:54 | CVR records two MAYDAY messages |
| 12:00 | Right engine stops operating |
| 12;04 | Aircraft crashes in mountains near Grammatiko, Greece |
Live footage!!
As this video is in Greek, you can skip it to 7:32. You’ll hear the characteristic:
[Aircarft warning]: ALTITUDE ALTITUDE
[Pilot]: “MAYDAY MAYDAY Pampo,we have a civilian aircraft strike, we have a civilian aircraft strike, MAYDAY MAYDAY”.
[ATC]: Copy
…Short after, the F16 pilot gives the coordinates to the ATC…