Shorthand: Helios 522 - ‘The Ghost Plane’

Summary

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Podcast Summary: RedHanded – Shorthand: Helios 522 – ‘The Ghost Plane’ (Released April 10, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this fascinating and chilling episode of RedHanded, hosts recount the tragic and mystifying story of Helios Airways Flight 522—an infamous disaster that later became known as “the Ghost Plane.” Departing Cyprus on August 14, 2005, the routine flight’s bizarre, silent demise resulted in the loss of all 121 lives onboard and left investigators and the public searching for answers. The hosts examine what went wrong on the flight, explore the complex web of human error and mechanical failure, and reflect on the aftermath and utter lack of justice for the families of the victims. The tone is both somber and darkly humorous, in classic RedHanded style.

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Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Setting the Scene: Misconceptions and Introduction (00:43–03:03)

• Mix-ups and Banter: One host admits she thought the episode would be about the Greek god Helios before learning it was about a plane crash.
• Summary of Events: The episode immediately sets up the intrigue—Flight 522 goes radio silent, fighter jets approach to find everyone unconscious, save for one mysterious person who briefly enters the cockpit before the plane crashes.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Helios Flight 522 is known as the Ghost Plane or the flying tomb.” (Host 2, 02:23)

2. Who Were the Crew and the Passengers? (03:03–05:14)

• Budget Airline Troubles: Helios Airways is described as “worse than Ryanair,” a seriously under-resourced carrier with just four planes and a largely temporary staff.
• Introduction of Crew:
  • Pilot Hans Jurgen Merten: “an East German of few words.”
  • Co-pilot Pambus Pier Lambus: Cypriot native, “father to four kids.”
  • Chief Steward Luisa Vouteri: covering a shift, planning her wedding.
  • Stewardess Meropi Sopocluas: young, US-raised.
  • Andreas Prodomo: “Action man,” aspiring pilot and scuba diver, the man who would later attempt to save the flight.
• Notable Banter:
  • “If our past episodes are anything to go on, [Andreas] also knows multiple ways to kill you.” (Host 2, 05:07)

3. The Disaster Unfolds (05:14–09:23)

• Technical Failure and Miscommunication:
  • Shortly after takeoff, a “master caution alarm” sounds, indicating a possible overheating system.
  • Neither the pilots nor ground crew can locate any issue.
• Disappearance: 20 minutes in, the plane stops responding. Military jets are deployed.
• Ghostly Scene:
  • Jets observe "115 passengers laying motionless... oxygen masks... no signs of life." (07:07)
  • The plane endlessly circles Athens, running out of fuel.
  • A “mysterious passenger” enters the cockpit, signals downward—moments before the plane crashes into the hills north of Athens after swerving away from the city.
• Impact:
  • “Hauntingly, autopsies revealed that every single person... was alive at the time of impact.” (09:09)

4. Investigating the Causes (10:25–16:10)

• Mechanical Problems:
  • Just months before, the same plane suffered a rapid depressurization; this Boeing 737 had its environmental control systems repaired or inspected seven times in the prior 10 weeks.
  • On the crash day, a frozen door and strange banging sounds were reported.
• Pressurization System—A Fatal Oversight:
  • Ground engineer Alan Irwin tested the environmental controls, setting the crucial P5 pressurization switch to "manual."
  • After routine checks, Irwin cleared the plane to fly.
  • The pressurization switch was left in manual mode, causing deadly hypoxia—lack of oxygen as the plane rose to cruising altitude.
• Explaining Hypoxia:
  • “Low oxygen, otherwise known as hypoxia, is possibly the worst assortment of symptoms for a person operating heavy machinery like a plane... can quickly lead to a coma, brain death, and then actual death.” (Host 1, 15:16)

5. Human Error and Systemic Failure (16:10–21:59)

• Chain of Responsibility:
  • The checklist included verifying the pressurization switch. Evidence suggests the co-pilot frequently skipped checklists.
  • The pilots also disliked each other and were eager to finish their shift.
• Boeing’s Design Flaws:
  • Both master caution and cabin air warning alarms used the same sound, leading to dangerous misinterpretations.
  • “It’s like you leaving your fridge door open and your burglar alarm making the same noise...” (Host 2, 19:32)
  • Boeing was aware of multiple such incidents; only after this disaster did they change the sound system.

6. The Mystery and Heroism of Andreas Prodomou (22:43–25:31)

• Who Was the “Mysterious” Passenger?
  • Steward Andreas Prodomou managed to stay conscious, likely due to his background as a scuba diver and by “monkey swinging” between spare crew oxygen masks.
  • He entered the cockpit and attempted to send a mayday, but was out of radio range.
  • “In a very weak voice, Andreas says: ‘Mayday, mayday, Mayday. Helios Flight 522 down.’” (Host 1, 24:01)
• Final Moments:
  • With the plane out of fuel, Andreas turned it left to avoid crashing into populated Athens, sacrificing himself and the remaining passengers to save countless on the ground.

7. Aftermath: Accountability Denied (25:31–29:40)

• Corporate Callousness:
  • Helios’ execs refused to sign condolence letters to victims’ families, fearing it signaled guilt.
  • The airline allegedly had a “culture of fear,” pushing rules to the limit and running unsafe planes constantly.
• Legal (Non-)Consequences:
  • Families sued Boeing for €76 million; the case was settled out of court, and Boeing changed the alarm system—but formally denied fault.
  • Four Helios officials faced manslaughter charges; all were acquitted, and later bought their way out of light sentences.
  • “It's a horrible reminder that wealth can place someone above the law, even when there's 121 deaths on their hands.” (Host 1, 28:35)
• Heroic Legacy:
  • Andreas’ actions “saved innumerable lives... so be more Andreas, be less Faceless Corporation.” (Host 1, 29:36)
  • The hosts reflect on their growing fear of flying and urge listeners to always question safety and alarms.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Helios Flight 522 is known as the Ghost Plane or the flying tomb.” (Host 2, 02:23)
• “If even my phone played up seven times in 10 weeks, I'd seriously think about getting a new one. Let alone, you know, a plane that carries 121 people…” (Host 2, 13:06)
• “Low oxygen, otherwise known as hypoxia, is possibly the worst assortment of symptoms… poor coordination, impaired judgment and tunnel vision.” (Host 1, 15:16)
• “The Boeing 737 had doubled up on its alarms, so the master caution alarm and the cabin altitude warning were signalled by exactly the same intermittent sound.” (Host 1, 19:18)
• “It’s like you leaving your fridge door open and your burglar alarm making the same noise and you’re like... ‘Better just go back to bed.’” (Host 2, 19:32)
• “In a very weak voice, Andreas says. ‘Mayday, mayday, Mayday. Helios Flight 522 down.’” (Host 1, 24:01)
• “Culture of fear where people were encouraged to stretch the rules to the limits.” (Brian Field, COO, quoted by Host 1, 26:07)
• “It's a horrible reminder that wealth can place someone above the law, even when there's 121 deaths on their hands.” (Host 1, 28:35)
• “Be more Andreas. Be less Faceless Corporation would be my advice.” (Host 1, 29:36)
• “If you hear an alarm, question everything. Check everything. Yeah, just in case.” (Host 2, 29:48)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:43 – Episode starts, banter and intro to the flight
• 02:23 – The "Ghost Plane" discovery
• 05:14 – Takeoff and onset of disaster
• 09:09 – Investigation and autopsies
• 13:06 – Repeated mechanical issues outlined
• 15:16 – Dangers of hypoxia explained
• 19:18 – Boeing alarm system revealed as flawed
• 24:01 – Andreas’ final mayday call
• 26:07 – Quoting Helios COO on company culture
• 29:36 – Hosts reflect and offer closing thoughts

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Tone and Conclusion

Throughout, the hosts balance detailed investigative research with their signature dry wit and incredulity at the authorities' and airline’s incompetence. They express rage at the lack of justice and heartbreak for families, while holding up Andreas Prodomou’s doomed bravery as a solitary bright spot. The lasting message: distrust corporate assurances, never ignore critical alarms, and value those who step up in crisis—even when the system fails everyone else.

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Transcript

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[Podcast Host 1]

Hello. Hello.

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[Podcast Host 1]

I think this might be our least successful recording day of all time.

[Podcast Host 2]

I'm so tired. It's okay. You guys won't know. We're ready. We're pumped. But it has been a very bizarre start to the recording session. And if you hear some banging, just because somebody seems to be doing some fucking DIY right above us in a soundproof studio apparently that we pay for. So you know, there's that.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yes. There is also a confession that I have to make.

[Podcast Host 2]

Uh huh.

[Podcast Host 1]

I didn't know about this, but I did know that Helios is the Greek God of the sun. So I thought we were doing a shorthand on the Greek God of the sun. And that is not what we're doing at.

[Podcast Host 2]

If you were also hoping that that's what you were going to listen to today, I apologize. That's not what we're listening to. But I also don't. Because this is fascinating.

[Podcast Host 1]

On the morning of August 14, 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522 departed from Cyprus with 115 passengers and 6 crew on board. It should have been a simple 90 minute journey from Cyprus to Prague with a stop in Athens. But just 20 minutes after takeoff, the Flight 522 went completely silent. Finally, after all emergency contact procedures failed, a pair of S16 fighter jets met the aircraft at 34,000ft. There the pilots discovered a chilling scene as all 115 passengers lay motionless in their seats. Even worse, the pilot seat was empty and the co pilot, they slumped over the control panel.

[Podcast Host 2]

This is why Helios Flight 522 is known as the Ghost plane or the flying tomb. There were no signs of life until a mysterious passenger entered the cockpit. He looked at the pilots, pointed downwards and then the plane hurtled to the ground, killing everyone on board. Autopsies revealed that every single person was alive at the time of impact. So what really happened aboard the ghost plane? And who was to blame for the worst air crash in Greece's history? This is the shorthand.

[Podcast Host 1]

Helios Airways was a budget airline operator owned by Cypriot businessman Andreas Dracu. Please note that when we say budget, we're not talking about Easyjet or Ryanair. By comparison, those two are mega deluxe. Are you aware of the American Airlines Spirit?

[Podcast Host 2]

I've heard of it. I've never flown on it.

[Podcast Host 1]

Don't.

[Podcast Host 2]

Oh, no, because worse than Ryanair.

[Podcast Host 1]

Way worse. There's like a meme about it that's like, don't fly Spirit unless you want to become one.

[Podcast Host 2]

Oh, wow. Ryanair. Do you remember a few years ago there was talk about them starting like a plane line, basically, where you just

[Podcast Host 1]

stand, no toilets and standing

[Podcast Host 2]

God. And like, sure, great. If, like, if that helps, like more people will be able to access it. Awesome. But they are just terrible, terrible airline.

[Podcast Host 1]

And so was Helios Airways. They had just four planes and a very, very small staff of mostly seasonal or temporary workers. So let's meet the crew. Aboard Flight 522 was pilot Hans Jurgen Merten, an East German of few words. His co pilot, Pambus Pier Lambus, which I'm definitely saying wrong, was a Cypriot native and father to four kids.

[Podcast Host 2]

In the cabin there was Chief Steward Luisa Vouteri. She had stepped in to cover for a sick co worker, despite being very busy planning her wedding. Then there was stewardess Meropi sopocluas, who was 25 and had grown up in the U.S. then we have another person with an incredibly difficult Greek name. As I'm learning, this entire episode is going to be about Andreas Prodomo, who had agreed to cover the flight for a colleague since his girlfriend, Harris Charolombas, was also working. They also planned to marry. And oh boy, was he a catch, because as well as being an attentive boyfriend, Andreas was studying to be a pilot and spent his spare time scuba diving.

[Podcast Host 1]

Action Man.

[Podcast Host 2]

But also, if our past episodes are anything to go on, also knows multiple ways to kill you. Yes.

[Podcast Host 1]

With a packed plane and the crew in place, Helios Flight 522 was ready for takeoff. And that's the last thing that went to plan on what should have been a simple flight. Just as the wheels left the tarmac, an alarm began to blare in the cockpit. The pilots identified it as the master caution alarm.

[Podcast Host 2]

That sounds serious.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yes. What it does is it warns the crew that systems on the plane may be overheating, which is not good at any time, but especially not good during takeoff, which, along with landing, is famously the most dangerous part of flying. The problem was Merton, and Palembus couldn't seem to find any overheating systems at all. A call to a ground engineer proved a confused and frustrating exchange as he couldn't locate the issue either. Not ideal. But it all got so much worse when 20 minutes into the flight, Helios522's communication went dead, never to be heard from again.

[Podcast Host 2]

Down at 0 degrees altitude, the ground crew were trying everything they could to get through to the pilots, but all their emergency calls went unanswered. Attempts at contact from other airborne planes were also ignored. So as a last resort, the ground crew engaged the military. They deployed two S16 fighter jets to meet Helios 522 at 34,000ft in the air. One jet pilot tried to gain the attention of the crew with radio and signals. The other maneuvered around the plane looking for structural damage, fire or smoke. But Instead they found 115 passengers laying motionless in their seats. 93 adults and 22 children with oxygen masks strapped to their faces and no signs of life.

[Podcast Host 1]

As we said at the top, the captain's seat was vacant and the co pilot was slumped over the controls. The aircraft was literally in autopilot on its way to Athens. And while autopilot can in fact get you to your destination, you do need an actual human to stick the landing for now. AI will sort that out in two years, I reckon.

[Podcast Host 2]

So.

[Podcast Host 1]

When the plane approached Athens with no one to land it, Helios 522 entered into a holding pattern which sent it in circles around the city upwards of 10 times. But it couldn't go on forever. Flight 522 left Cyprus with enough fuel for the 90 minute flight, plus a little extra as a contingency. But by now the plane had been airborne for almost twice the intended flight time. So it was clear that this Boeing 737 was headed for disaster.

[Podcast Host 2]

Specifically, it looked as though it was on course to crash directly into the densely populated Greek capital. The S16 pilots must have thanked every deity they could. When a mysterious passenger entered the cockpit. This man took a seat at the control panel. For all intents and purposes, it looked like he knew what he was doing. He donned the headphones and spoke into the radio. But the S16 pilots couldn't hear a word. They signalled for him to follow them away from the city and out of the danger zone. But just then, the fuel tank ran out and the left engine flamed out. The man in the cockpit looked to the jet pilot and simply pointed down. The plane was about to drop. And he knew it. In a split second, he jerked the steering wheel and the plane jolted to the left, thankfully away from the city. And after almost an hour of attempted contact and interception, the aircraft descended rapidly. It hurtled from the sky and crashed into the hills of Grammatico village, 25 kilometers from Athens. All 93 adults, 22 children and 6 crew were dead.

[Podcast Host 1]

When emergency services arrived at the scene, they found bodies and luggage strewn across the charred, blackened hills. Many passengers were found still strapped to their seats as they had been at 34,000ft. Naturally, an investigation kicked off immediately. The Hellenic Republic Ministry of Transport and Communications conducted interviews and inquiries. They also set about painstakingly locating, mapping and tagging each fragment of the plane. Hauntingly, autopsies revealed that every single person on Helios Flight 522 was alive at the time of impact. So what was it? Negligence? Terrorism? Human error? More importantly, who is the mysterious person in the cockpit? And what stopped every other person on that flight from intervening or even reacting to what was happening around them? The answer is not simple, because it never is. But through the accident report and investigation, it became clear that there were many parts that made up this nightmare scenario.

[Podcast Host 2]

First of all, the investigators wanted to know whether mechanical issues were at fault. What they uncovered was a haunting list of issues with the plane.

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[Podcast Host 2]

On 16 December 2004, just months before the crash, the Boeing 737 had experienced a rapid loss of cabin pressure. Oxygen masks were deployed while the crew made an emergency descent. And it really makes you wonder, maybe the plane should have been grounded after this or gone into a serious repair program. Well, no, instead, the plane continued to play up to the point where the environmental control panel had been repaired or inspected seven times in the 10 weeks leading up to the crash. And I mean, it just really is so, so scary. I mean, if even my phone played up seven times in 10 weeks, I'd seriously think about getting a new one. Let alone, you know, a plane that carries 121 people and can, you know, take them all to their deaths.

[Podcast Host 1]

Even on the morning of the crash, during a flight from London to Cyprus, the crew reported a frozen door and a strange banging sound, which are red, red flags. Imagine being on the flight before.

[Podcast Host 2]

Oh, my God. Nope. This is why my dad checks before I get on a plane. Is it a Boeing or is it an Airbus? And if it's a Boeing, he bundles me back into the car.

[Podcast Host 1]

Alan Irwin was the engineer on the ground that day, and he was tasked with inspecting the planes for turnaround. Bad day to me. Alan Irwin. He ran his tests, paying particular attention to the aforementioned frozen door and the environment control panel. To run tests on the environmental control panel, the pressurization switch had to be turned from auto to manual. And after his little checks, Alan confirmed that the plane, the ghost plane, was safe to fly.

[Podcast Host 2]

Time for a small but crucial sidebar on the role of the P5 pressurization panel. As planes go higher, the air grows thinner and it becomes harder to breathe. But passengers must have enough air to breathe, no matter how high up they are, because that's how humans work. And that's where the pressurization panel comes in. Every time you fly on a plane and breathe that sweet, sweet, horrible, disgusting, recycled air like you never left the ground, that's the pressurization panel doing its job to make sure the plane is the airtight vestibule of oxygen and calm that we need it to be. With the switch on auto, the air pressure adjusts automatically as the plane flies and gets higher. But with the switch on manual, it simply does not. That's when the oxygen masks deploy and you need to get out of the sky as fast as possible.

[Podcast Host 1]

So what happens when you don't have enough oxygen? Low oxygen, otherwise known as hypoxia, is possibly the worst assortment of symptoms for a person operating heavy machinery like a plane. These include, but are not limited to, lightheadedness, steadiness, poor coordination, impaired judgment and tunnel vision. And not to mention hypoxia can quickly lead to a coma, brain death, and then actual death. When the investigators discovered the P5 pressurization panel. Fucking hell. That's hard to say. At the scene of the crash, they found that the switch was clearly set to manual, meaning that the passengers and the crew would most definitely have succumbed to hypoxia and fallen into comas and then slipped into brain death. Which explains why they were all alive on impact, despite appearing to be quite the opposite.

[Podcast Host 2]

I'm going to ask this question with the full knowledge that you may not have the answer, but maybe somebody listening will. Why is there a manual setup? What is the reason for that?

[Podcast Host 1]

I don't know.

[Podcast Host 2]

I am curious because that seems like something that should just be checked before every flight, but maybe one that you just don't need to have it. It's not like a light switch where you're like, sometimes I need the light on, sometimes I need it off when you always need it on. Maybe just. It's just on.

[Podcast Host 1]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host 2]

Confusion. But despite the fact that we don't understand why it was set to manual, we do know that Alan Irvine is to blame for leaving the switch on manual and therefore causing the death of all 121 people on board Helios 522. So despite the fact that we don't know why there is a manual setting, could there be an easy answer here? Could Alan Irving be to blame for leaving the switch on manual and therefore causing the Death of all 121 people on board Helios 522? Not quite. Irwin Helios and Boeing all confirmed that there are critical pre flight checklists that the pilot and co pilot must complete before takeoff. This checklist features the P5 switch, which the pilots must ensure is in auto, not manual. So how did this happen after the fact? Helios staff claimed that the co pilot Palumbus had a very poor track record for carrying out the checklists prior to flying.

[Podcast Host 1]

Oh, good.

[Podcast Host 2]

Why is that a known thing? That's like, oh, yeah, you know what he's like. He never puts his cups away, they're always piled up on his desk.

[Podcast Host 1]

What?

[Podcast Host 2]

He always just forgets to check that that really important thing has happened. I am baffled. But anyway, it was also known that Palambas and Martin did not get along and were likely keen to get this job over and done with. But surely when the alarm sounded, they should have been able to identify and then fix the issue.

[Podcast Host 1]

Long time listeners and Cerruti's father might have predicted that our old friend, the Boeing 737 would play a part itself. Because the Boeing 737 has a checkered history at best. As of February 2024, there have been 529 incidents and accidents, as well as 5779 deaths on a Boeing 737. This plane has a less than ideal design feature. When you're in a high pressure, deeply dangerous situation, like flying a plane, you need clear signals and instructions at all Times. The Boeing 737 had doubled up on its alarms, so the master caution alarm and the cabin altitude warning were signalled by exactly the same intermittent sound.

[Podcast Host 2]

What?

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Why?

[Podcast Host 2]

Why? Why? What? The sound effects budget couldn't stretch to two different alarms.

[Podcast Host 1]

What? Yeah.

[Podcast Host 2]

Oh my God. I'm like, it's like you leaving your fridge door open and your burglar alarm making the same noise and you're like, oh, but my fridge door is shut. Better just go back to bed. What's happening?

[Podcast Host 1]

So to recap, the master caution alarm that we told you about indicates that the systems might be overheating. Whereas the cabin altitude warning lets you know that the pressurization within the plane is not sufficient. Also known as we are running out of air, which is pretty serious.

[Podcast Host 2]

Also, if you are going to have a manual fucking setting, why doesn't it glow red or something yet?

[Podcast Host 1]

Why isn't there something that comes up

[Podcast Host 2]

on your screen just like a big light that's like, hey, hey, that's on manual. We don't know why there's a manual setting, but you should really turn it to auto. The cabin altitude warning is one of the rarest warnings that a pilot can get. As such, it's Quite difficult to identify on the spot while climbing into the air with 121passengers at your mercy. Boeing was well aware of this issue, as it had been flagged many times. In 2001, on a flight from Krisiansen to Oslo, the cabin altitude warning sounded as the plane climbed to 10,000ft. The pilot and first officer on that plane checked the systems and were satisfied that they were not overheating. They assumed that the alarm was faulty and switched it off. Guys, don't do that. Don't do that. When oxygen masks dropped in the cabin, they finally realized their mistake. Following this, there was no less than four serious pressurization incidents reported between 2000 and 2005. The Helios investigation uncovered 10 more incidents reported over the previous decade in which the crews admitted to misinterpreting the alarm.

[Podcast Host 1]

It just also seems like quite an easy fix. I understand that planes are extremely expensive and that's why they're all knocking around in the air, basically falling apart. But to change an alarm sound seems like an easy thing to do.

[Podcast Host 2]

I mean, the mysteries of Boeing will never cease to amaze me. But to put all of your minds at ease, listeners, there are now two separate alarms, even though Boeing has rejected any claims that the crash was their fault.

[Podcast Host 1]

As Helios 522 climbed, the air thinned and the two pilots were completely unaware the oxygen masks in the cockpit didn't deploy like the ones in the cabin.

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[Podcast Host 1]

They're always accessible in case of emergency. So the alarm was kind of the pilot's only chance to identify the problem. When the S16 jets arrived, they found Columbus passed out over the controls and Merton collapsed behind him in his chair. So who was the mystery person who entered the cockpit? Well, it was none other than air steward and superhuman Andreas Prodorumou. How had he managed to dodge brain death and find his way into the cabin? Maybe because he's a scuba diver. He's really good at holding his breath.

[Podcast Host 2]

Yeah, possibly.

[Podcast Host 1]

And also at the end of each row on a Plane there is an additional oxygen mask. These are specifically placed so that cabin crew can move from row to row, checking oxygen masks are worn correctly while taking a hit off each spare mask. This is known as monkey swinging, which sounds horrible. So Andreas had much more than the 12 minutes of oxygen allocated to the regular masks, allowing him to make it through the locked cockpit door. As for how he got in, we have no idea. He either guessed random codes or he managed to extract the code from the senior steward.

[Podcast Host 2]

I guessed random codes. That seems bonkers. Yeah, man. There's no way, like there's quite literally no way that that happened. There's lots of questions about this, well, mystery. There's lots of things we're just never going to know. But what we do know is that once he was inside the cockpit, Andreas took a seat at the control panel and called for help. But Andreas last message was never received because the radio was still set to the frequency of the origin airport, for which it was now of course, out of range. When the cockpit voice recorder was found in the wreckage of the plane, Andreas heartbreaking last ditch attempt was heard. In a very weak voice, Andreas says. Mayday, mayday, Mayday. Helios Flight 522 down. Mayday, mayday. That's when the plane ran out of fuel, the left engine failed, and Andreas, having done everything he could, pointed downwards. In a feat of quick thinking and bravery, Andreas quickly steered the plane to the left so that it swerved away from the city of Athens. With all other passengers in a coma, Andreas was the only person awake and aware as Helios Flight 522 crashed into the hills of Grammatico, killing everyone on board.

[Podcast Host 1]

It is standard practice in a tragedy like this for the airline to send condolence letters to the bereaved, which is, quite frankly, the very least they can do. I don't think I would want that.

[Podcast Host 2]

Just fuck. Fuck you, Boeing. I just feel so sick at the thought of. At least the thing you know, if you're in a plane and it's going down, is that you're passed out. Andreas is awake.

[Podcast Host 1]

But the families of the Victims of Haileus 522 received no letters because the executives at Helios refused to sign them. They saw sharing their condolences as accepting blame, which it kind of is, but also it is your fault. And obviously the crash was gaining quite a lot of international press. Helios staff even received death threats and intimidation. Brian Field became the COO of Helios two weeks before the crash. Jesus. And described a company in Shambles with, quote, a culture of fear where people were encouraged to stretch the rules to the limits. And his main gripe was that the measly four planes the airline owned were flown back to back without the downtime that's needed to ensure safe travel.

[Podcast Host 2]

With all of the blame in buck passing, where does this leave the bereaved? Well, in a hunt for justice and accountability, they sued Boeing for 76 million euros. Boeing rejected the accusation, blaming the flight crew and ground staff, citing the 16 mistakes they made that caused the crash. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. And thankfully, as we said, Boeing updated at least their alarm system. Next, the families turned to helios Airways, where four officials were charged with 121 counts of manslaughter through recklessness and negligence. But the case was dismissed and the defendants were acquitted. The Cypriot Attorney General filed for an appeal, but the new trial was dropped due to double jeopardy. Like, if the case is dismissed, it's not really double jeopardy if there was no trial. I don't know. That seems.

[Podcast Host 1]

I mean, it seems like there was a trial, but they were acquitted. But I would have thought there's a civil case, surely.

[Podcast Host 2]

Yeah. Finally, the family has made it to magistrate's court, where all four Helios officials face 12 years in prison. All but the chief engineer lost their appeals, but luckily for them, in a corrupt legal system, money is more important than justice. And they were given the option to buy out their sentences for €79,000 each, which, of course, they did.

[Podcast Host 1]

That's mad.

[Podcast Host 2]

Yeah, that's absolutely bonkers. And where did that money go? Just to the court, I guess.

[Podcast Host 1]

So the crash was a tragic and totally avoidable loss of life. While on a mechanical level, there have been changes to prevent similar incidents. The lack of justice for the bereaved leaves a very sour taste behind, with Helios and Boeing dodging accountability at every turn. It's a horrible reminder that wealth can place someone above the law, even when there's 121 deaths on their hands. The hero, though, is of course, Andreas, who, despite being the only passenger awake and aware of the dire situation, was able to battle his way into the cockpit and attempt to prevent the crash. Though his calls went unanswered and there wasn't much he could do once the left engine blew. The swift decision he made to steer the plane away from the city of Athens before its descent saved innumerable lives. So be more Andreas. Be less Faceless Corporation would be my advice. But my massive takeaway from that is I think I'm going to develop a horrible fear of flying.

[Podcast Host 2]

Yeah, it really felt like it was creeping up on me as we were doing that episode. I don't know how to make anyone feel better. If you hear an alarm, question everything. Check everything. Yeah, just in case. And we'll see you next time, guys.

[Podcast Host 1]

See you next time. Bye.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser's Partner]

Travel safely.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

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[Liberty Mutual Advertiser's Partner]

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[Liberty Mutual Advertiser's Partner]

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[Liberty Mutual Advertiser's Partner]

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