FURTHER allegations emerged yesterday on the crash of the National Guard’s Bell chopper that crashed killing the island’s top brass, in what has been dubbed the worst military tragedy since the 1974 invasion.
As experts continued to scour the crash area for more clues, Machi yesterday ran a front-page story suggesting criminal negligence on the part of some quarters in the Defence Ministry. Under the banner “They ‘killed’ Florakis,” the paper claimed it had had access to a Ministry of Defence document proving the Bell chopper that crashed was not suitable for night flights; the helicopter carrying National Guard chief Evangelos Florakis and four other officers had been heading to Paphos in the early morning hours, shortly before daybreak.
Machi printed a Ministry document that seemed to suggest the National Guard’s Bell choppers were not qualified to fly night sorties. It read: “The Ministry of Defence (MoD or Buyer) requests Tenders for the modification of three Bell 206L-3 helicopters in order for the helicopters to gain the capability to carry out night flights with the help of Night Vision Goggles (NVG 2nd Plus and/or 3rd generation), as well as for the purchase and installation of radio-altimeters on the said helicopters.” The document was dated April 4, 2002.
The article went on to speculate that this meant at least some people in the Defence Ministry knew about the Bells’ unsuitability for night flight, yet failed to inform the leadership. This omission, which was tantamount to criminal negligence, the paper claimed, had cost the lives of five people. The daily also pointed out that Defence Minister Socrates Hasikos might also have been a victim, as he had reportedly planned to join Florakis on the fatal flight.
Possible causes for the crash include mechanical failure or a fire breaking out on board while the chopper was in flight. At least three eyewitnesses said they saw the helicopter burst in flames before it came down. Another suggestion put forward was that the chopper may have collided with electric power cables; reportedly, EAC technicians have been visiting the crash site since Thursday. Any form of foul play has been ruled out, both from official sources and the press.
Hasikos, who from the outset has been adamant that the Bell 206s are night-time capable, yesterday slammed Machi, describing its article as “irresponsible and unacceptable”. The Defence Minister countered that the tenders request had in fact been for the procurement of equipment enabling the choppers to carry out assault missions at night with the help of thermal image intensifiers, and not for pure aviation needs, as the paper had suggested. Hasikos went on to question the paper’s motives and work ethics, wondering why Machi had taken just one sentence from the document and published it out of context. “Where is the rest?” Hasikos asked. He added that the document had been submitted to the House Defence committee.
An investigative committee examining the causes of the crash will be handing over its verdict to Hasikos. Yesterday the Defence Minister said the parts of the chopper recovered may be sent to the manufacturers in the USA for further examination or to Greece, or both. Hasikos also denied allegations by some quarters that he had already received a report by two Greek experts visiting the island and that the Defence Ministry may be involved in a cover-up.
But the controversy raged on, as DISY deputy Sotiris Sampson, who sits on the House Defence committee, insisted the government had still not provided concrete proof the Bell choppers were qualified to fly at night. Sampson, whose family owns Machi, denied that the document in question had been submitted to the House Defence Committee, remarking “I for one have never seen it.”
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
