Pilot Recalls ‘Ghost Plane’ Crash of Helios Airways Flight 522, Killing 115
On August 14, 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522 was en route from Cyprus to Prague, with a stopover in Athens, when it met a devastating fate. Tragically, all 115 passengers and six crew members lost their lives. The disaster became even more shocking due to the eerie circumstances of the crash. A fighter pilot was dispatched to investigate the silent plane and witnessed the harrowing events leading to its final descent, making it one of the most haunting incidents in aviation history.
Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 737 went silent. When air traffic control received no response from the plane, Greek authorities became alarmed and dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to intercept it. Among the pilots was Captain Grammatiko, who later recounted the chilling details of his encounter with the unresponsive aircraft.
As Captain Grammatiko neared the plane, he described an unforgettable and haunting scene. “The co-pilot was slumped over the controls, and someone else appeared to be trying to take over,” he recounted. That person was identified as flight attendant Andreas Prodromou, who had somehow managed to enter the cockpit in a desperate attempt to control the plane. Sadly, without formal pilot training, Prodromou’s brave efforts could not prevent the impending disaster.
Grammatiko’s account confirmed that oxygen deprivation had rendered nearly everyone aboard unconscious, creating what is known as a “ghost flight.” The plane continued flying on autopilot, with no human control, until it eventually ran out of fuel. “It’s an image I can never forget,” Grammatiko said, recalling the moment the Helios Airways Flight 522 circled helplessly before crashing into a mountain near Athens.
After hours of drifting through the sky, the plane finally exhausted its fuel, leading to its tragic descent. The fighter jets had attempted to assist but were powerless to prevent the crash. As the plane plunged into a hillside, killing everyone on board, Captain Grammatiko’s report to authorities conveyed the heartbreak of the incident. “I watched those final moments, completely helpless. It was utterly devastating,” he later remarked.
The investigation into the Helios Airways Flight 522 crash determined that a lack of cabin pressure had caused hypoxia—insufficient oxygen for brain function—rendering the passengers and crew unconscious. A critical error in the pressurization system, set manually instead of automatically, went unnoticed by the crew. As a result, the pilots were incapacitated, and the plane continued on autopilot until its tragic end.
