Ghost plane | Why was this plane SILENT for hours before crashing? | Helios 522

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Why was this Helios airways 737 silent for over 2 hours before crashing into the Greek countryside, killing all on board? And who was the mystery person spotted in the cockpit by the fighter pilots who intercepted the aircraft? Was this terrorism, or something else?

This video uses findings from the official accident report to recreate the series of events that led to the crash.

Background music all licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Photographs

Aircraft simulation
- IXEG B737

Helios livery for 737-300

00:00 Intro
00:51 Boarding and takeoff
02:18 An alarm sounds
05:00 Fighters intercept
6:30 The Investigation
12:30 Who was in the cockpit?
14:20 Safety reccommendations

[Incidental]

The thought of being that one person alone in a cockpit with no idea of what happened and how to land the plane sends chills up my spine... imagine being that person all alone while everyone is passed out and you can do nothing but wait until the plane crashes

[Carmy]

Im old aircrew and now I understand why the airlines subjected us to hypoxia at least twice in my career. We needed to understand and recognise. It was scary as we thought we were ok when in fact, we struggled to do simple things.

I love your channel. It's brilliant. Thank you.

[Sazandora]

I remember this case from Mayday, it's my favorite episode from the series simply due to how unbelievable the whole incident is.

[mumble_jumbo]

All aviation accidents are a tragedy but the lessons learned from them save many others. RIP to all those onboard Helios 522.

[SpeculativeConjecture]

This one always gets me, the fact that if in some miracle the flight attendant had landed the plane, that all the passengers would have been inured beyond repair is not a thought I like to think of

[lettuceman]

The thought of, if that poor 25 year-old had been able to land the plane, every single person aboard besides him being reduced to a severely brain-damaged vegetable is honestly far more unsettling than the actual outcome. Imagine being the medical personnel in charge of removing them all from the plane.

[josephconnor]

This crash has always haunted me. Your presentation is top-notch. I hope your channel grows!

[ItsRawdraft]

Greek here, if you listen to the footage from the intercept you'll hear the controller of the F16s vector in a second pair on intercept course because the plane was heading into a residential area. Patriot batteries were also on standby. The intercepted got called off after the plane veered off into Grammatiko and final heading was confirmed. The footage from the second F16, which was behind and to the left of the plane has not been released.

[dariusify]

This must be the third or fourth video of yours I have watched and they have all been very well made. I would not be surprised if your channel starts to grow very rapidly soon. All the best wishes for your channel.

[rethablair]

God Bless that poor soul who had to witness his approaching demise alone😞😓😭

[GuranPurin]

This one is heartbreaking. Andreas is a way stronger person than me. Maybe he felt some obligation to at least try to save the plane because he had a pilot license and was a flight attendant. If I were in his position, I would have just let the hypoxia overtake me and just go down not knowing what was about to happen.

I did read he managed to turn the plane away from Athens while it was in the air, which must have been why he pointed down after the plane banked left when the fighter jet pilot tried to get his attention. I believe he fully knew that the plane was going to crash and that he would rather it happen away from the city to keep the death toll from being even higher. If that's the case, he is a true hero.

[moreel]

The fighter jets seeing a mysterious man in the cockpit not noticing them or worse purposefully ignoring them is absolutely traumatizing, to top all off it slowly Dawned on the Jet pilots that this entire plane is gonna crash killing every person on it

[kylosun]

I was in Cyprus at the time this happened. This was utterly traumatising for everybody on the island.

[awright]

I can't imagine the terror that last person felt. It seems like it would be better to be unconscious at that point if there's nothing you can do. I wonder if he took the oxygen mask off when he knew it was going down. I would've went to the back, buckled up and let myself pass out.

[DarkLumiya]

Had a friends on this flight, a family of 4. Husband, wife and their two sons 17 and 12. They were going on holiday to celebrate the younger son was going to start high school come September. Also have acquaintances who were flight attendants that worked on this plane and reported multiple issues with the air conditioning, cabin pressure and other electrical problems that were consistently ignored.
I remember the day this happened, the whole island was in such shock, we didn't know for hours what had happened, if it was another terrorist attack like 9/11 and if anyone had survived, there were false reports of shepherds in the area saving some passengers but obviously later in the day it was revealed that everyone had perished. The bodies were so burnt it took months to identify them via DNA analysis volunteered by surviving family members.

[wassollderscheiss]

This was as chilling as it was interesting. Well done!

[AstralVibez]

The only story so far to shake me this much at the thought of it. Hearing the moment they went dark i tied it to oxygen related. Cant imagine the stress of the one guy as well. Sounded like the maintenance guy over comms as well realized exactly what was happening just before the plane went silent and barely missed the chance to tell them to switch it to auto

[rinserepeat]

This one is truly sad. Cant even imagine the stress levels poor Andreas felt.

[aishwariyad]

I became recently addicted to your videos especially your way of narrating the incidents, the graphical presentation, background music etc..I couldn't view any other aviation channels after listening yours. But everytime I listen to the stories I would keep praying for a miracle, in worst scenarios I get heartbreaks and sometimes get angry on the pilots if they commit any silly mistakes leading to fatal crashes. Overall my knowledge about airplanes and flying has been vastly improved after watching your videos. Thanks..New subcriber here!!

[shaytan]

These videos are so addictive. Nicely explained in a very calming voice. I love them. A very well done job. 👏👏