The passenger list included 93 adults and 22 children, comprising of 103 Cypriot nationals and 12 Greek nationals. The left engine proceeded to flame out due to fuel exhaustion, followed by right engine.Just before 12:04, the aircraft crashed into hills near Grammatiko, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board. Crash investigators concluded that Prodromou’s experience was insufficient for him to be able to gain control of the aircraft under the circumstances. Photo: Transport CentralĢ0 minutes later, flight attendant Andreas Prodromou entered the cockpit and sat down in the captain’s seat, having remained conscious by using a portable oxygen supply. The flight attendant held a UK Commercial Pilot Licence, but was inexperienced in flying a Boeing 737. Computer generated image of fighters flying next to Helios aircraft. After repeated failed attempts at contact, two F-16 fighter aircraft were scrambled to establish visual contact.Intercepting the passenger jet at 11:24, the fighter pilots and observed the first officer face down on the control board and an empty captain seat. The aircraft continued to climb until it levelled off at approximately 34,000 feet. This was the last communication with the aircraft. The captain disregarded the question and instead asked in reply, “Where are my equipment cooling circuit breakers?”. The engineers question was 60 seconds too late, as the captain was already experiencing hypoxia’s initial symptoms. The captain proceeded to radio the Helios operations centre and reported “the take-off configuration warning on” and “cooling equipment normal and alternate off line”. He then spoke to the ground engineer, who had checked the pressurisation before take off, and asked “Can you confirm that the pressurisation panel is set to AUTO?” The plane continued to rise, and as it reached an altitude of approximately 18,000 feet, the oxygen masks in the passenger cabin automatically deployed. This alert sound, which indicated a pressure loss, was identical to the take-off configuration warning, which the pilots assumed to be the cause. As it passed through an altitude of 12,040 feet, the cabin altitude warning horn sounded. A Helios Airways Boeing 737-31S at Ruzyne Airport (PRG / LKPR).Īs the aircraft climbed, the pressure inside the cabin gradually decreased. All three times, the flight crew overlooked the system, not noticing the incorrect setting. However, the engineer failed to reset to “auto” on completion of the test.īefore every flight, the pressurisation system is checked on three separate occasions: during the pre-flight procedure, the after-start check, and the after take-off check. In the 31st podcast from, we go back to 2005 and delve into the series of events that caused the crash of Helios Airlines flight 522. ![]() In order to carry out this check without requiring the aircraft’s engines, the pressurisation system was set to “manual”. The plane was scheduled to fly from Larnaca, Cyprus to Prague, Czech Republic, with a stopover at Athens International Airport.Īccording to an Aircraft Accident Report published in 2006, a ground engineer was sent to the plane prior to the flight to perform a pressurisation leak check. Ten minutes after the loss of power from the left engine, the right engine also flamed out, and just before 12:04, the aircraft crashed into hills near Grammatiko, 40 km (25 mi 22 nmi) from Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board.Remembered as the deadliest aviation accident in Greek history, Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed near Grammatiko, Greece, on August 14, 2005, killing 121 passengers and crew. However, Prodromou succeeded in banking the plane away from Athens and towards a rural area as the engines flamed out. ![]() Crash investigators concluded that Prodromou's experience was insufficient for him to be able to gain control of the aircraft under the circumstances. Prodromou waved at the F-16s very briefly, but almost as soon as he entered the cockpit, the left engine flamed out due to fuel exhaustion, and the plane left the holding pattern and started to descend. Prodromou held a UK Commercial Pilot Licence, but was not qualified to fly the Boeing 737. His girlfriend and fellow flight attendant, Haris Charalambous, was also seen in the cockpit helping Prodromou try to control the aircraft. ![]() This caused the plane not to be pressurized during the flight and resulted in nearly everyone on board suffering from hypoxia, thus resulting in a ghost flight.Īt 11:49, flight attendant Andreas Prodromou entered the cockpit and sat down in the captain's seat, having remained conscious by using a portable oxygen supply. Īn investigation into the crash concluded that the crew had neglected to set the pressurization system to automatic during the take-off checks. Shortly after take-off on 14 August 2005, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft it eventually crashed. Helios Airways Flight 522 was a scheduled passenger flight with a stopover in Athens, Greece.
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