Air decompression in the cabin of the Helios airplane which crashed on the 14th of August 2005 was partial and not total, Head of the Team Investigating the accident Serafim Kamoutsis told a press conference in Athens, after the reconstruction of the flight on Monday.
Head of the Greek Committee for the Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents Akrivos Tsolakis said the results of the reconstruction were very important.
Tsolakis said that the re-enactment of the deadly flight was the first of this kind in the world.
The preliminary report about the causes of the crash will be ready at the end of February or at the beginning of March and will be handed over to the competent authorities.
Meanwhile, the government confirmed its commitment to appoint an Investigating Committee on the crash, which will probably be appointed this week.
Still more to investigate
According to the results of Monday’s reconstruction, the partial air decompression in the cabin, leads to the conclusion that the pilots had the time and the potential, under normal circumstances, to gain the control of the aircraft.
For this reason, the Committee will investigate the reasons that prevented the pilots from gaining the control of the aircraft.
It was also ascertained that both pilots had oxygen, but it seems that they did not have the chance to use it.
Kamoutsis said that due to a partial decompression in the Helios aircraft at 10,000 feet the alarm went on.
At 14,000 feet the oxygen masks fell, but for unknown reasons, the aircraft continued its upward course.
At 34,000 feet, and while the aircraft was flying with the automatic pilot over the Kea Greek island, it started a descending course.
Cypriot steward Andreas Prodromou, took an oxygen cylinder from the cabin, opened the cockpit, disconnected the automatic pilot and had for more than 10 minutes the control of the aircraft, until it crashed in the area of Grammatikos, north of Athens, due to lack of fuel.
“At first we had some clues which we had to turn into evidence. Some indications were turned into evidence but I will not reveal them because they consist data for the investigations still conducted by the Attorney” Tsolakis told the press conference.
The Attorney, he added, “observed all of our actions on air thoroughly, in order to understand the case better”.
