Helios Flight 522: How a Single Switch Killed 121 Passengers

On the 14th August, 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522 collided with mountainside due to fuel deprivation, making it one of the worst airplane disasters in European history. Let's look at how it happened.

✦ With special thanks ✦

✦ Disclaimer ✦

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✦ Chapters ✦

00:00 Intro
01:25 A Loud Banging Noise
03:49 A Catastrophic Chain of Events
09:20 Hypoxia
11:50 Panic on the Ground
13:38 A Man in a Blue Vest
16:23 May Day
19:19 Ghosts on the Plane

[Abstract]

I'd be interested to hear your theories on Andreas - I know that this is a horrific situation to be in, and we will never, EVER know what he was dealing with up there, but for the life of me I still can't understand why he didn't enter the cockpit until the last moments given that he a) had oxygen, b) had the access code? The ONLY thing I can imagine is that he somehow incapacitated himself but even still, one of the oxygen canisters wasn't used so it just doesn't make sense to me.

[l.n.]

I will never complain about a flight being late for take-off ever again. It's moments like these when you really have to respect the care and attention that your pilots give before, during, and after your flight.

[notNajimi]

The fighter pilot’s voice crack made me cry, I can’t imagine having to watch this slowly unfold while you’re helpless from another plane

[home_taping]

Those F-16 pilots WATCHED a passenger jet crash. What a heavy, heavy thing to witness.
Also this channel is amazing, please keep making content.

[DesGardius-megf]

I feel bad for the F-16 pilot who witnessed the crash. From the recording, you can tell how horrified he is.

[Ercrcrdsstff]

That flight attendant was a hero. He fought through barely being conscious and tried his best to save everyone. Unfortunately heroes don’t always succeed RIP flight 522

[Ninashelby]

It’s astounding how many chances the pilots had to fix this error before it became fatal, and failed to each time

[funnystuffonlylm]

I'm Greek and when this happened the entire country froze in horror. Andreas is a hero in our hearts and will always be. May they all rest in peace. I just hope no one suffered.

[DDadams]

It may be apparent to some - but likely not all who don't speak Greek.

The fighter pilot calling out the mayday and describing the last moments before impact was most definitely crying and trying to hold back tears. He was fumbling just ever so slightly in his wording of what was going on. Poor guy, he really really was distraught.

[LionZebra]

Poor Andreas! He joined the crew the last minute and was the last to be conscious. While everyone else was spared the minutes before the crash, he was witness to the entire horror.

[fish]

Perhaps it was exactly the amount of experience they had that led to their demise. After hundreds of flights, complacency becomes the biggest danger of them all.

[Harleymotor]

Shout out to Andreas who even when suffering from Hypoxia and barely conscious still tried to save everyone. And that poor pilot, who’s voice cracked made me cry

[maxwellstefan]

Andreas is the most heroic figure in this story. He may not have succeeded in saving everyone, but the strength and bravery to lift himself up when he must have been getting weaker and more disoriented by the moment and still try is far from nothing

[HazyJ]

There is something oddly terrifying (in a sci-fi horror / psychological thriller kind of way) thinking about an airplane flying itself for so long while everyone inside is dead. It's just it's a strange feeling to think about.

[alexandrinaivanova]

I just started crying when the F-16 pilot voice cracked ...and Andrea's trying to save, either the plane or choosing a safe crash site so no more ppl would be hurt.
I live In Cyprus and was a teenager when this happened...it was and still is an awful tragedy

[goldenvalleyaerialphotogra]

As a pilot I can say there is no excuse for what happened. They should have already known that a cabin pressurization test had been performed, so verifying that the pressurization switch was in the auto mode should have been a no brainer. Secondly, as soon as the alarm sounded, they should have not made assumptions as to what caused the alarm, but realized what the actual reason for the alarm was. As for the maintenance person that performed the pressurization test, he should have returned it to the auto mode. If the pilots had performed a proper preflight check this never would have happened.

[butexab]

this is truly the most horrifying story of a plane crash I've ever heard. nothing is more terrifying than human error in a time where your life is dependent on someone else's choices

[roximusmaximus]

God only knows what went through Andreas' mind when he realised he was the ONLY one moving on that plane..true horror. Some people suffer such tragic fates..

[HexaAngel]

The helpless terror of the F-16 pilots as they watched the disaster unfold was absolutely heartbreaking.

[CptQuakers]

That poor F-16 pilot must have been absolutely devastated, feeling so helpless and just having to watch it all