EMBATTLED private airline Helios Airways yesterday acknowledged the plane that went down northeast of Athens on Sunday, killing all 121 on board, was the same that faced a well-documented decompression problem back in December 2004. The admission came as detectives converged on the airlines’ offices efforts to gather and assess all data relating to the horrific crash.
A criminal investigation was launched on Monday, ordered by the Attorney-general after consultation with Communications Minister Haris Thrasou and police chief Tasos Panayiotou.
The airline came under the spotlight hours after the tragedy by taking too long in releasing the names of the people aboard flight 522; even when it did, hours later, the list given to police was incomplete.
“Investigations into Sunday’s air crash will go as deep as necessary,” Panayiotou said following a memorial service for the victims yesterday. Police had already collected a number of documents which were being evaluated, and were taking testimonies from persons who might have something to say about the tragedy, he added.
But he refrained from commenting on the various allegations published in the press in the past couple of days, because, as he pointed out, the investigation was ongoing. He appealed to the public to come forward with any information they may have on the matter.
Panayiotou said that police officers, who raided Helios offices on Monday night, were currently examining documents seized; the operation lasted three hours, from 10pm to 1am yesterday. No search warrants have been issued yet.
Communications Minister Thrasou told the Cyprus Mail that, “The allegations we are speaking about concern different statements being made by some of the crew members of Helios.
“After the accident, many started speaking to the media that the airline had had incidents in the past etc. We instructed, that is, me and the chief of police, the carrying out of an investigation to find out if the complaints are based on fact and if so why the company did not give any evidence of this to the Civil Aviation Department.”
He added: “We asked permission from the Attorney-general’s office to find out if the company has any documents detailing complaints from either crew or passengers. I’m not saying we know 100 per cent that some of the allegations are based on fact or not. We just want to investigate.”
Thrasou told state radio yesterday that the Civil Aviation Authority had received no complaints prior to the tragedy.
“Other than those made after the tragic event. However, we are not rejecting the complaints, but it’s my opinion that it was an unforgivable mistake that the crew didn’t report the problems beforehand.”
Police are also expected to take statements from passengers who have made complaints – and there have been several made to television and radio – and former pilots and other staff members who have left the airline or been sacked. Former airline chief enginerer Kyriacos Pilavakis gave four hours statement to police in Limassol on Monday.
