Cypriot plane crashes in Greece

[TRELOS]

A CYPRIOT Boeing 737 airliner with 121 people on board has crashed, apparently pilotless, onto a mountain northeast of Athens.
The flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, went down on the Euboea peninsula, a traffic controller at Athens international airport said.

A spokesman for the Greek army chief-of-staff said hijacking "could not be ruled out".

Just before the crash, air force crew observed the airline's pilots doubled up in the cabin, the controller said.

"The plane has crashed," said Iannis Pantazatos, who was in charge of the Athens airport control tower.

"The information was given to us by the air force, which sent two fighters to escort the aircraft."

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There was no immediate word on casualties.

Shortly before the plane crashed, Mr Pantazatos said: "The airport lost all contact with the plane, which should have landed in the late morning, and two air force planes sent up in reconaissance found it flying above the Euboea peninsula, but they saw the pilots doubled up in the cabin.

"We do not know how the plane is flying. It is being escorted by the military planes and the airport is in a state of emergency."

The Helios airways plane was reported to be carrying 115 passengers and six crew.

Helios, established in 1999, is the first private airline in Cyprus. It had a fleet of four Boeing 737 jets and operated flights to London, Athens, Sofia, Dublin and Strasbourg in France.


apparently there where 80 school kids on board this flight....my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims

[Eunos]

A lot more to be heard about this crash;

[HAL]

Are you heard about this crash; [quote]On Monday the pilots and crew of Helios Airways were refusing to fly following reports that passengers complained that the doomed jet had experienced previous technical problems AP reported ?