Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Grammatikos Greece
Sunday, August 14, 2005
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On August 14, 2005 at approximately 12:04 p.m local Greek time, a Helios Airline Boeing 737-300, registered in Cyprus as 5B-DBY crashed into rolling terrain north northeast of Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV), Athens, Greece. The nearest town to the crash site was Gramitikos, Greece. The aircraft had departed Larnaka Airport, Cyprus, two hours and 57 minutes prior to the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to Greece that consisted of a US Accredited Representative, and specialists in the areas of operations, aircraft structures, and aircraft systems. Upon arrival, this team joined investigators from the Greek Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board, the Boeing Company, and CFM, the aircraft's engine manufacturer.
According to the AAIASB, during climbout as the aircraft passed 12,000 feet, the cabin altitude warning horn sounded. The captain then began radio communications with his company maintenance base at Larnaka. This communication lasted until the aircraft passed 28,900 feet. The aircraft was on autopilot at the time and followed its FMCS inserted route. It subsequently passed over LGAV, its planned destination, at 34,000 feet and entered the missed approach holding pattern.
Two Hellenic Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted the aircraft and one of the pilots noticed that the captain's seat was empty and the first officer's seat was occupied by an incapacitated person. Shortly thereafter, one person was seen to enter the cockpit wearing an oxygen mask.
After 1 hour and 12 minutes in the holding pattern the left engine flamed out due to fuel starvation and 10 minutes later the right engine also flamed out. The cabin altitude warning horn subsequently stopped sounding after the aircraft later descended below 10,000 feet during its final descent.
Both the flight data recorder and the flight recorder were recovered from the crash site and were processed successfully by the French BEA. Numerous components from the aircraft pressurization system were also recovered and will be examined at the Boeing facility in Seattle, Washington. Numerous interviews were conducted with Helios company officials and Helios maintenance personnel.
The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Greece. Further information may be obtained from:
Ministry of Transport and Communication
Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board
Ex. American Base, Building 221
Helliniko, GR 167 01 Athens, Greece
Telephone: 30 210 99 73 024
Fax: 30 210 99 73 184
This report is for informational purposes only, and only contains information released by the Government of Greece.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/14/2005 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | -- |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | Grammatikos |
| Event State | -- |
| Event Country | GREECE |
| Zipcode of the event site | -- |
| Event Date Year | 2005 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | -- |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | -- |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| Lighting Conditions | -- |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 121 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 121 |
| Investigating Agency | Foreign |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | -- |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 13 2006 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | ntsb\Administrator |
| Basic weather conditions | -- |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | -- |
| NTSB Number | DCA05RA092 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Non-U.S., Commercial |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | -- |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | -- |
| Aircraft Explosion | -- |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Boeing |
| Aircraft Model | B737-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | -- |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | -- |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | -- |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | -- |
| ELT Activated | -- |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | -- |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | -- |
| Aircraft Owner State | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Country | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | -- |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | -- |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | -- |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | International |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | -- |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LCLK |
| Departure City | LARNACA |
| Departure State | -- |
| Departure Country | CY |
| Departure Time | -- |
| Departure Time Zone | -- |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | ATH |
| Destination City | ATHENS |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | GR |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 25 2005 10:51AM |
| User who most recently changed record | DELI |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |