Wed, Oct 11, 2006
Chain Of Events Conspired To Cause Accident
Aviation experts tell
us that a plane crash is almost never due to just one single cause,
but rather a series of mistakes that add up until the accident is
inevitable. That is essentially the conclusion reached by a
just-released Greek Board of Inquiry in last year's bizarre loss
of a Helios Airways 737-300 flying from Cyprus that killed 121
people.
It was quickly established shortly after the accident that
somehow, the
pilots were incapacitated due to a lack of
oxygen at high altitude. The pressurization system
regulating the flow of oxygen in the cabin decreased as the
aircraft gained altitude, and the pilots and passengers were
rendered unconscious.
The airplane flew on autopilot for two more hours. Greek
fighters were scrambled to intercept the airliner but were
powerless to help as the plane eventually ran out of fuel over
Greece and crashed.
What the report makes clear is that a series of human errors on
the ground added to pilot errors in the air and caused the deadly
accident.
The report blames deficient technical checks made by Helios
Airways before the plane ever took off, cites Boeing for not
addressing previously reported pressurization problems in other
737s, and follows with the failure of the pilots to take quick
action when it appeared the oxygen pressurization system was
defective.
The chain of events eventually conspired to cause the death of
121 people.
As Aero-News has reported, the Cypriot
aviation industry is in danger of being denied landing rights in
Europe because of deficient airworthiness standards that still have
not been corrected.
As for Helios... the Cyprus-based airline has since changed
its name to Ajet.
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