THE MYSTERY crash of Helios flight ZU 522 has sparked a rash of theories, speculation and unanswered questions as to what might have led to the disaster: here are some of them.
What could have led to the disaster?
1. A failure of oxygen supplies could explain the unconscious state of the co-pilot had the aircraft lost cabin pressure.
2. The pilots didn’t put their oxygen masks on time.
3. The pilots quickly fell unconscious because of toxic gases from a faulty air condition vent. Again the possible lack of oxygen in the oxygen tank supplies could have contributed to the tragedy.
4. A sudden drop in cabin pressure, with the pilots not reacting promptly in putting on their oxygen masks and descending the plane to a safe altitude.
5. A terrorist act has not been ruled out by American aviation experts, despite insistence from the Greek and Cypriot governments that this scenario has been ruled out.
But the most vital questions still remain unanswered, with the Greek government refusing to reveal what the two F-16 pilots trailing the ghost flight saw.
Why wasn’t the captain in his place?
According to reports at the crash scene and leaked eye witness accounts from the F-16 pilots, the pilot was not in the cockpit when the Greek fighter planes approached the Boeing 737. The pilots reportedly said they saw the copilot slumped on the controls of the plane and the pilot missing. They later added that an unidentified person was later seen trying to take control of the plane but no contact could be established with the mystery person.
One airline expert told NET television the pilot could have been absent from the cockpit because he had gone to see what problem could have occurred in the cabin or could have left his seat to get an oxygen bottle for his mask.
Did a third party try to fly the plane?
At the crash scene, Greek coroner Philips Kotsaftis observed that stewardess Louisa Vouteri had been found close to the cockpit along with the copilot, but that the captain was not close to the scene. Some reports suggested that it was the stewardess that attempted to take control of the aircraft.
Faulty air condition system
Many theories over what exactly happened in the cockpit have been surfacing with the most prevalent being a faulty air conditioning system. The fact that the pilot communicated with Nicosia FIR and reported air condition problems is a strong indicator that it could have contributed to the cause of the crash.
Some airline experts have said that toxic and undetectable gases could have seeped from the air condition vent, causing the captain, the copilot and the passengers to lose consciousness.
A drop in cabin pressure
A sudden drop in cabin pressure is another of the theories being investigated. In December 2004, the same plane had undergone repairs because of a cabin pressure problem during a flight from Sofia.
Was it shot down?
The Helios Airways plane was declared a “renegade” by the Greek authorities after the Boeing 737 failed to respond to communication. Two F-16 jets were scrambled to the aircraft. Greek Government Spokesman Theodore Roussopoulos confirmed they had seen a cockpit without a captain and the co-pilot slumped over the controls of the aircraft. He added: “At a later stage, the F-16s saw two individuals in the cockpit seemingly trying to regain control of the airplane. The F-16s also saw oxygen masks down when they got close to the aircraft. The aircraft was making continuous right-hand turns and radio contact could not be established.”
The renegade operation was established by the US Military after the terrorist attacks of September 11 in 2001. The aim of the operation is to dispatch military aircraft to civilian planes that have lost contact and/or are in danger of crashing into built-up areas. If nothing can be done to stop a ‘renegade’ plane from plunging into built-up areas, the plan provides for the aircraft to be shot down over an uninhabited area.
The Greek defence Ministry has kept close wraps on the F-16 pilots, refusing to name them or reveal whether they had video footage of the plane.
