GREEK AVIATION NEWS
Last update March 21, 2008
MARCH 18 2008 HELLENIC ARMY AVIATION UH-1H HELICOPTER CRASHES
A Bell UH-1H "Huey"helicopter with the code ΕΣ 822 (66-16487, c/n 8681) of Hellenic Army Aviation crashed today in northern Greece close to
Thessaloniki , killing three officers on board, in an accident
authorities are attributing to mechanical failure.
The
helicopter, crashed in a wheat field around 30
kilometers east of Thessaloniki, close to the village of Vassiloudi.
The helicopter was on a flight to the military base of Rentina and had nearly reached its destination, police said.
Firefighters found the bodies of the three officers, aged 24, 28 and 33, in the charred remains of the helicopter.
In
2006, four Greek army staff died when their Bell UH-1H Huey
crashed in a field in the north of the country while on a training
flight.
Multipurpose helicopters, Hueys are among the oldest
aircraft used by Greek forces.
DECEMBER 05 2007 H.A.F. F-16C Block 52+ CRASHES INTO THE SEA
A H.A.F F-16C Block 52+ has crashed into the sea during night-time exercises 20 n.m. south of Mt.Athos, near the firing range of Psathoura.The aircraft serialled 99-1516 piloted by 35 year old captain Athanasios Batsaras, disappeared from radar screens at 19.41 hrs.A search and rescue operation was launched, in which 3 Super Puma helicopters, a C-130H aircraft and Coast-Guard and naval vessels took part.
Later the body of the pilot was recovered by a Turkish Navy frigate which was assisting in the S.A.R. operation.At 22.31 hrs a H.A.F. Super Puma helicopter landed on the Turkish vessel and received the body of the pilot.
The F-16C was built on August 29, 2003 , had entered service with the H.A.F. on October 2, 2003 and had logged 442 flying hrs.
JULY 23, 2007 H.A.F. CANADAIR CL-415MP CRASHES
A H.A.F CL-415MP firefighting aircraft crashed on Monday July 23d near Styra town, in Evia.The aircraft was taking part in the fight against a big fire in the area, among other aircraft, helicopters and ground forces.
The pilot Captain D.Stoilidis and co-pilot Lieutenant I.Hatzoudis were both killed.There are no indications as for the cause of the crash.
Loss of engine power or stalling are suspected.
MARCH 23, 2007 RECOVERY OF PART OF A GERMAN JUNKERS 88
“66 years after being shot down, the tail of a Ju-88 is retrieved for the HAF Museum”
According to the Hellenic Air Force official site (www.haf.gr), on 23 March 2007, a trawler dragged a WW II historical aircraft along the sea floor off Larissa Bay at a depth of 120 metres. Its captain attempted to raise the wreck with the boat’s crane albeit most of it was cut and separated. As a result, only the tail eventually emerged leaving the rest of it at the bottom.
Upon arrival at Salonica harbour the captain handed the wreck to the Hellenic Air Force Museum personnel, who had already rushed there. Immediately after the plane’s tail came ashore, HAF museum technicians began to treat and clean it in order to prevent deterioration due to its exposure to the atmospheric air. The wreck has been transported to the HAF Museum at Dekhelia Air Base, Athens, where restoration has already commenced.
A preliminary inspection suggested that the tail belonged to a Luftwaffe twin engined, 4-seater, bomber Junkers 88. The unexpected discovery of a “crash tag” located on the trailing edge of the right horizontal (which reads: Junkers 4051 888…) duly confirmed the initial guestimate.
According to the “Hugo Junkers Homepage”, the prototype Ju-88 performed its first flight in 1936. Line production commenced in 1938 and mass production in 1940. During the following 6 years a total of 15.000 Ju-88s were built. The standard bomber version of the Ju-88 was built as the “A”-series, in which possibly the recovered Ju-88 belongs to.
According to initial information, the aircraft was probably shot down in April 1941 during the air operations of the German invasion to Greece. By that time the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF), having fought gallantly during the Hellenic-Italian War and left with only very few aircraft, was called to face the overwhelming superiority of the Luftwaffe, which had at its disposal over 1.000 aircraft for this campaign. According to “Hellenic Wings: An Illustrated history of the HAF and its Precursors” (G.J. Beldecos, 1999), the RHAF, during the three-week war against the German Air Force undertook a total of 180 missions focussing on air attacks on enemy ground forces in support of the Hellenic Army. RHAF pilots claimed shooting down two German Henschel 126s and a Dornier 17. Alongside the RHAF fought seven bomber and fighter Squadrons of the Royal Air Force, which contributed a great deal by undertaking hundreds of reconnaissance and strategic bombing sorties aiming at destroying enemy’s ports of disembarkation and communication lines in order to delay Wehrmacht’s rapid advance to the Eastern Front.
Based on available historical sources, the recovered part of the JU-88 belonged either to no 30 Bomber Wing (KG30), 51 Bomber Wing (KG 51) or 1 Training Wing (LG1) being either (Wreknr 8135, 4D+JR), (Wreknr 6322) or (Wreknr 3291, L1+UH). Initial information suggests that the Ju-88 in question was most probably shot down between 11-16 April by RAF no. 33 Squadron Hurricanes. It should be stressed at this point that the aforementioned are only indicative. Full verification of the aircraft subtype, the names of the crew and their fate will only become possible if the aircraft’s tactical or construction numbers (Wreknr) are ever revealed.
According to the “Hugo Junker Homepage”, only 35 Ju-88 wreckages have survived worldwide, of which 13 belong to aircraft which have suffered massive damages during their emergency landing or crash. Some of them have been recovered from their crash sites and their parts are stored or exhibited at various Air Force Museums. Only two complete Junkers 88s are currently on display wordwide: at the RAF Museum, Hendon, and the USAF Museum, Dayton. The Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin has the wreckage of two Ju-88s, which are currently under restoration. Other Air Force Museums worldwide exhibit only parts of original aircraft or have built replicas incorporating available genuine parts. Taken into account the above, it becomes evident that even the recovered tail per se is considered of significant historical importance.
Within the wider programme of salvage of important historical aircraft, the HAF Museum is currently evaluating all available information in order to determine the feasibility of its salvage and subsequent restoration with view to become one of the few Museums in the world exhibiting three versions of Junkers: a Ju-52/3m, a Ju-87 STUKA and a Ju-88 bomber.
FEBRUARY 27, 2007 HAF MIRAGE 2000CG CRASHES
A H.A.F. Mirage 2000CG fighter belonging to 332 Sq/114 Wing at Tanagra, crashed into Mount Chtypas near the Gulf of Evia, today at 13.22 hrs. The pilot Lieutenant Vasilios Doukas, managed to eject safely from the aircraft before the the crash. The aircraft, which was on a training flight, took off from Tanagra air base. The pilot reported engine trouble almost immediately after takeoff and despite his efforts, he lost control of the aircraft which crashed soon after.
for the Hellenic Army in Greece.
The aircraft are part of a combined Foreign Military Sales agreement with the U.S. Army and direct commercial agreement with Boeing.
All of Greece's next-generation Apaches will be delivered this year.
In addition to its new Apache Longbows, the Hellenic Army operates a fleet of AH-64A Apaches, which have been in service in Greece
for the past decade.
OCTOBER 13, 2006 CO-TRAINING OF HAF PARATROOPERS WITH 31 LUFTLANDE BRIGADE
Between 9-13 Οctober 2006 HAF paratroopers (Underwater Operations Team/ΚΟΣΥΘΕ) co-trained with 272 Airmobile Support Battalion of 31 Luftlande Brigade at Wildeshausen, Germany.
The co-training included T-10 static line descents from C-160 Τransall, free-fall training and shooting with the Brigades light arms: G-36, MG-3 and P-8.
As it is customary and according to the German Army’s regulations, HAF paratroopers were awarded German parachute wings in various classes (including one in gold) by the Commander of the “Division Spezielle Operationen”. Following the successful fulfilment of relevant requirements, HAF personnel were also awarded the German Army Shooting Badge (Schützenschnur) in Gold and Silver.
OCTOBER 20, 2006 337 ALL WEATHER SQUADRON RE-ACTIVATED
The Hellenic Air Force has announced the re-activation of 337 Squadron which was temporarily disbanded and its aircraft (McDD F-4E SRA) withdrawn from service, in December 2005.A ceremony took place in 110 CW at Larissa AF base to commemorate the event.The leadership of the HAF was present at the event.The newly re-activated Squadron has received F-16 Block 52+ aircraft.
OCTOBER 11, 2006 THE REPORT OF THE INVESTIGATION ON THE HELIOS AIRWAYS AIRLINER CRASH IS PUBLISHED
A series of human errors on the ground and inside the cabin led to the August 2005 crash of a Cypriot Helios Airways airliner that killed all 121 people on board, a commission investigating the accident has said in its final report.
It said the pilots did not realise that the cabin's pressurisation selector had been left in manual position during pre-flight inspection, and failed to identify an automatic warning of the problem in the cockpit of the Boeing 737.
But the Greek investigators also apportioned blame to the airline, the Cypriot regulatory authorities and to Boeing.
The plane manufacturer had taken "ineffective" measures in response to previous pressurization incidents in the particular type of aircraft, the report said.
It said Helios was found to have "deficiencies" in its organisation, while the Cypriot regulatory authority was accused of "inadequate execution of its safety oversight responsibilities."
The airliner crashed near Athens on August 14, 2005 during a flight from Larnaca to Prague, in the worst air accident recorded in Greece.
The international air industry had been eagerly awaiting the report into the accident as the Helios disaster is one of the most puzzling in aviation history.
The plane flew on auto-pilot for nearly two hours before running out of fuel, with the two pilots somehow incapacitated soon after the aircraft departed from Larnaca airport in Cyprus.
The full report in PDF format (9Mb large file, opens in separate window)
OCTOBER 5, 2006 A JUNKERS JU-87 "STUKA" IS RAISED FROM THE THE SEA NEAR RHODOS ISLAND
On October
5, 2006, the HAF Underwater Operations Team (KΟΣΥΘΕ)
successfully carried out the salvage of a Luftwaffe Ju87D-3/Trop Stuka,
from a depth of 15 metres, half a mile off the coast of Prassonisi at
Rodos (Rhodes) island.
According to a combination of available historical data, it appears
that the aircraft is most probably S7+GM (100375), crewed by Lt. Rolf
Metzger & Uffz. Hans Sopnemann - both MIA), which was shot down on
9 October 1943.
On that very day the II/St.G. 3 lost a total of nine Ju 87D-3/Trop
when they were intercepted during their mission against Royal Navy and
Hellenic Navy ships in the Aegean. Of these nine, seven crashed into
the sea and two made emergency landings on Rodos. A week before, German
troops had landed on the island of Kos, which fell the next day. On 9
October 1943, HMS cruiser "Carlisle" and other destroyers, returning
from a sweep west of Kos, were dive-bombed SW of Rodos Island by a
formation of Ju-87 Stukas. "Carlisle" was seriously damaged and HMS
destroyer "Panther" was sunk. Most of her crew were saved by the RHN
destroyer "Miaoulis", which has also claimed firing against the Ju-87
formation and probably hit a couple of them.
According to information supplied by HAF Museum experts, from a
first inspection of the fuselage, it is suggested that the aircraft has
most probably been hit by aircraft fire. In this case, a plausible
explanation is that it was downed by P-38s (Ligtning) belonging to
USAAF 37th Fighter Squadron, led by the famous double Ace Major William
Leverette. On that same day, seven P-38s on a mission to protect RN
warships in the Mediterranean sighted a formation of 30 German Ju-87
dive bombers. Following fierce dogfights, 37th Sq has claimed downing
several Luftwaffe Stukas and a Ju-88.
Almost sixty years after her loss, in October 2004, the wreck was
caught to the net of the fishing boat "Konstantinos" belonging to
Captain Spyros Varvaris from Kalymnos Island, seven miles off the
southern cape of Rodos. It was then dragged all the way to shallow
waters and the incident was reported to the Hellenic Coast Authorities.
Given the historical importance of the aircraft, the HAF General Staff
decided to proceed to its salvage. The precise position of the wreck
was pointed out by diver Yannis Glinatsis, resident of Rodos. Following
this, the aircraft was videotaped by the HAF divers in order to
determine the optimum salvage method. Technical drawings were made
available by the HAF Museum,
while HAF experts suggested the strongest points, from which the
aircraft could safely be suspended and lifted. All these were taken
into consideration by the HAF diving engineers, who have more than 20
years accumulated experience in salvage and deep submergence
operations, including the successful salvage of a RAF Blenheim in 1996
at Crete (and another one at Prespes Lake), a Ju-52/3m off Leros
Island, not to mention several modern fighters, fire-fighters and
helicopters (including a CH 47/D from the unprecedented depth of 960
metres!). All the above led to an exceptionally precise weighing of the
A/C, which was smoothly lifted from the seabed intact.
Soon after the aircraft was brought to the surface, the HAF Museum
technicians took care of her. The plane was washed with water and
special chemicals were applied in order to avoid corrosion due to
exposure to the atmospheric air. Following this, the aircraft will be
taken to the local airfield of Maritsa, where first degree restoration
will be applied. The outer parts of the wings will properly be
dismantled and the plane will be shipped to the HAF Museum at Dekeleia
Air Base, Tatoi, where a full restoration programme will be carried
out. It is anticipated that the Stuka will be available for viewing
during the HAF Celebration Day on 8 November 2006 which this year is
dedicated to the participation of HAF in WWII.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 HAF A-7E CORSAIR II CRASHES
A HAF A-7E Corsair II aircraft crashed soon after take-off from 116 CW airbase at Araxos at 13.30 hrs. Wednesday September 20. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Petros Hatziris ejected safely. There were no injuries on the ground.The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but is investigated.
MAY 23, 2006 HAF
F-16C COLLIDES IN MID-AIR WITH TURKISH AIRCRAFT OF SAME TYPE
On
Tuesday May 23 at 12.45 hrs, a HAF F-16CBlk52+ (No 514) of 343
Sq./115CW, collided with an
F-16C of THK, during an interception of the latter by the former, 8 n.m
off
APRIL 25, 2006 HAF RF-4E
CRASHES
Α Hellenic Air Force RF-4Ε
Phantom crashed shortly before 11:00,on Tuesday April 25, 5 nm
from the runway of 110 CW
airfield near Larisa.
The aircraft developed problems in its hydraulics
and the two crew successfully used their ejection seats.The causes of
the crash are being investigated by a committee of experts.
APRIL 15, 2006 HAF MIRAGE
2000CG CRASHES
Soon after takeoff, the pilot reported a failure in the aircraft’s computer. A sea, land and air operation was launched to locate the aircraft, the search mainly concentrating in the Yliki-Elikonas-Galaxidi area.Three helicopters, a C-130 aircraft, a Navy surveillance ship, a torpedo boat and coast-guard craft were assisting in the operation. The two aircraft were en route to Italy, where they were to take part in exercises.
The Mirage jet, was located crashed, by foot troops with trained dogs 20 miles northwest of the Tanagra military airport on Saturday April 15, after overnight searches. The pilot's (Flight Lieutenant Pantelis Gelis) body was found inside the aircraft. Land Search and Rescue teams located at 09:08 CET small parts of the aircraft at an area west of lake Paralimni at an altitude of 1,000 feet.An Investigation Committee is looking into the exact causes and conditions of the crash.
FEBRUARY 20, 2006 GREEK ARMY HUEY CRASHES KILLING FOUR
A Greek Army UH-1H Huey military helicoptert crashed in the northern prefecture of Pella on Monday night, February 20, killing all four army staff on board.The helicopter had taken off from a military base at Alexandria, in the prefecture of Imathia, at 7.30 p.m. on Monday and had disappeared from radar screens shortly after 8 p.m., according to authorities, who said that the helicopter crew had not reported any problems during their last communication a few minutes before the crash.Experts said the likeliest cause of the accident was mechanical failure, as weather conditions had been good and there had been no visibility problems.A coroner confirmed that all four armed forces staff aboard the doomed helicopter, which had been on a night-time training exercise, had died instantly, apparently from injuries sustained during impact. The crash victims were identified as army air force captain Christos Karypidis and three non-commissioned officers, Ilias Karabas, Adam Adamopoulos and Constantinos Fotiadis. Karypidis and Karabas had logged 2,939 and 2,273 flight hours respectively.
The Hellenic Air Force has decided the temporary de-activation of 337th all-weather squadron and the retirement of the last F-4E SRA (Southeastern Regional Agreement) aircraft.The Squadron will be again operational when it starts to receive its new F-16C/D Blk 52+ aircraft
during 2006.The event was marked by a ceremony held at Larissa Air Force Base and with a four-ship overflight in which the Minister of defence and former F-4 pilot, S.Spiliotopoulos took part.
DECEMBER 14, 2005 GREECE DECIDES TO BUY MORE F-16s
The deal, which also provides for offset benefits on an operational level that include contracts for the domestic defence industry, was unanimously approved during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.
Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos said that the total cost of the programme will come to €1.625 billion and also cover support needs of 60 aircraft of the same type purchased under a previous programme under a contract signed in 2000.
The minister stressed, meanwhile, that the necessary bank guarantees had been obtained for the first time.
KYSEA's decision on Tuesday ensured the absence of middlemen from the specific contract and reaffirmed the government's commitment to transparency in armed forces' procurements, he added, while noting that the additional aircraft would preserve the balance of forces in the region.
Breaking down the cost of the programme, Spiliotopoulos said that €1.1 billion represented the cost of the 30 aircraft, while the cost of supporting these and the other 60 aircraft purchased under the previous programme would come to €525 million.
The new aircraft are due to be delivered in 2009 and will immediately enter full operational use and be equipped with a self-protection system.
Spiliotopoulos said that the cost per aircraft under the current programme was €36.7 million, whereas the cost per aircraft in updated prices under the previous programme was €41.4 million.
Additional offset benefits came to 132 pct, compared with 120 pct under the previous programme and would benefit the Greek defence industry, particulary the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB), he said.
The minister also noted that the support programme included spare parts and consumables on each aircraft, which will increase their availability and that a downpayment for the order was due to be paid as soon as the contract was signed.
According to alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros, meanwhile, Greece would not be activating an option to purchase an additional 10 aircraft of the same type that was originally included in the deal.
In response to questions, meanwhile, he told reporters that payments for the aircraft will be recorded in the budget as they occurred.
The spokesman also claimed that Greece was saving a further €118 million by promptly placing the order for the aircraft before the production line for the specific model was closed.
In a ceremony held at 112 CW in Eleusis Air Base, 354 Tactical Transport Squadron “Pegasus” was re-activated after 23 years.The squadron had been de-activated in July 1982 after its last Nord 2501 Noratlas aircraft were retired.The squadron’s new aircraft the Lockheed-Alenia C-27J “Spartan” started to arrive on August 8 when the first aircraft (c/n 4117) touched down on Eleusis.
AUGUST 14, 2005 CYPRIOT AIRLINER CRASHES NEAR ATHENS
A Cypriot airliner with 121 people on board crashed north of Athens on Sunday, and rescuers said they had found no survivors.
The Helios Airways flight HCY 522 was headed from Larnaca, Cyprus to Athens International Airport when it crashed at 12:20 p.m. near the town of Grammatiko, about 25 miles north of the Greek capital, leaving flaming debris and luggage strewn across a ravine and surrounding hills.
The Boeing 737, with 115 passengers and six crew members aboard, was due to fly onto Prague, Czech Republic after stopping in Athens.
The cause of the crash was unclear, but first indications were that there was a technical problem — possibly decompression or lack of oxygen in the cabin_ and not terrorism.
The only piece of the plane that remained intact was the tail section. Bits of human flesh, clothing and luggage were scattered around the wreckage, which also started brush fires around the area.
Rescue helicopters flew overhead and firefighting planes swooped low to extinguish some of the fires. Ambulances crowded the roads near the crash site and dark black smoke could be seen rising from various sites around the crash.
Rescue workers and residents on the scene said they had not found any survivors.
The head of the Greek airline safety committee, Akrivos Tsolakis, described it as the "worst accident we've ever had."
He speculated that there may have been a problem with the cabin pressure.
"There apparently was a lack of oxygen which is usually the case when the cabin is de-pressurized," Tsolakis said.
Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled shortly after the plane entered Greek air space over the Aegean Sea and did not respond to radio calls. It is standard Greek air force procedure to intercept any aircraft entering the country's airspace that do not respond to radio calls.
Greek radio and television stations reported that the air force pilots saw no movement in the cockpit of the plane before the crash. There were some reports the two pilots seemed to be unconscious.
"The plane crashed around 400 meters (437 yards) from homes in the area," said Miltiadis Merkouris, a spokesman for the Grammatiko municipality.
Helios Airways, a privately owned airline founded in 1999, is Cyprus' first independent airline. It operates a fleet of Boeing 737 jets between Cyprus and London; Athens; Sofia, Bulgaria; Dublin, Ireland; and Strasbourg, France.
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JULY 19,
2005 HAF TO BUY 30 MORE F-16s
Greece will purchase 30 F-16/Block 52 fighter aircraft
in a direct deal with the United States government
for about 1.1
billion euros (1.32 billion dollars), Greek Defense Minister Spilios
Spiliotopoulos said.
Athens will also sign an option to obtain 10 more aircraft of the same
type for operational needs as part of a four-year
arms programme
extending to 2010, the minister said following a meeting of the Greek
state council of foreign
affairs and defense (KYSEA).
The final cost of the contract will depend on the offer tendered by the
US government, Spiliotopoulos said.
The Greek defense ministry will request the provision of maintenance
support for the F-16 planes as part of the offset deal, he added.
In April, the government said it would reexamine a deal sealed by its
socialist predecessors for the purchase of
60 Eurofighter aircraft from
European consortium EADS at an estimated cost of 1.7 billion euros.
The state council will decide at a later meeting whether to buy a
further 30 fighter planes, with an option for another 10, the minister
said.
JULY 13, 2005 FIRST NH90 PRODUCTION
HELICOPTER FOR HELLENIC ARMY FLIES
The first Hellenic serial production NH90 successfully took to the air
on july 13th for a 95 minutes flight at the Eurocopter Marignane
facility. The aircraft was flown by Boniface Jean-Pierre ROLDAN,
experimental test pilot, Dominique FOURNIER, flight test engineer and
Jean-Claude Rabany flight engineer.On 29 August 2003, Greece ordered 20
NH90 firm for a contract total amount of € 657 million, including a
consistent offset agreement involving Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI).
Hellenic NH90s will be operated by the Army, 16 NH90 Tactical Transport
in service with the Army Aviation and 4 NH90 with the Special Operation
Forces (SOF); both configurations being equipped with Rolls-Royce
Turbomeca RTM322-01/9 engines.The first NH90 Tactical Transport will be
delivered to Greece by late 2005 and the whole firm series will be
completed within the year 2010 (including options).
A HAF A-7H Corsair II aircraft crashed yesterday morning in the uninhabited area of Sperhiada, northwest of Lamia, central Greece, during a training flight. The pilot, 27-year-old Pilot Officer Nikos Danias, ejected safely and was rescued by helicopter and taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. There were no injuries on the ground. The plane had taken off from 116 Combat Wing base in Araxos. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but is investigated.
A Hellenic Air force F-16 fighter pilot had to make a forced landing at an airbase on the northeastern Aegean island of Lemnos yesterday, after suffering engine failure during a mission to intercept Turkish fighters.
An air force statement said the pilot managed to bring his aircraft down safely on the Lemnos runway, two and a half minutes after his engine cut out, probably due to a fuel feed problem, 10 miles off the island at an altitude of 12,000 feet.
“He effectively flew the jet like a glider,” an air force source said. The plane had taken off from 111 Combat Wing base at Nea Anchialos, in central Greece to chase off a pair of Turkish military aircraft.
DECEMBER 15, 2004 FIRST C-27J SPARTAN FOR HELLENIC AIR FORCE COMPLETES FIRST FLIGHT
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The
first
C-27J Spartan, to be delivered to Hellenic Air Force in January
2005,
successfully completed its first flight on December 15, 2004 in
Caselle, Italy
following final integration at Alenia Aeronautica's plant.The Italian
and
Hellenic Air Forces have both ordered twelve (12) C-27Js, and a range
of other
potential American, European and Asian customers have also shown keen
interest
in the aircraft. Formal evaluations have been conducted by the Air
Forces of
Australia, After take-off at 10:00 a.m. on December 15th from Alenia Aeronautica's flight test field, piloted by Commanders Agostino Frediani and Gianluca Evangelisti (also on-board, Commander Mario Mutti), the C-27J performed a series of manoeuvres and flight figures for 83 minutes. The success of the first flight will enable the Italian company to respect its contractual time schedule with the Hellenic Air Force and deliver the first of the twelve (12) aircraft ordered by the end of January 2005 |
OCTOBER 14,
2004
TWO F-16Ds CRASH ON MT PELION
Two F-16D Block 30 two-seat fighters went down in the Pilion area on Thursday afternoon, upon returning to the Nea Anchialos air base
following a training exercise.
At
Later in
the afternoon the first wreckage was located near the
The rescue
teams located human parts in the wreckage and later on found the second
aircraft where the pilots were found burned.
The crew
members were:
Squadron
leader Ioannis Kommatas aged 37,
Flight
lieutenant Athanasios Sioutas aged 33,
and Flight
officers
Giorgos
Andonopoulos and
Giorgos
Likoudis, both aged 28.
A Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter has crashed in the sea near Mt Athos in Northern Greece. On board the helicopter was Patriarch Petros of Alexandria and All of Africa. The Chinook helicopter had departed from Megara, near Athens carrying the Patriarch to Karies in the monastic
community of Mount Athos in Chalkidiki, where a reception was underway in his honor.
The last time the helicopter was seen on
the
radar screens was 15 miles south of Karies and its pilot had said that
he will gain altitude from the 2,500 feet to 4,000 feet. A total
of 16
people were on board, among them, 4 crewmembers and 12 passengers.
Wreckage of the Chinook were found in the sea
region, 5 miles east of Cape Akras
Ampelou in Sithonia, in Chalkidiki northern Greece.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 MIRAGE 2000 CRASHES
A Hellenic Air Force single-seater “Mirage 2000” fighter jet crashed in the sea region north of the island of Skyros today.
According to initial information, the pilot used the automatic ejection system and was able to abandon the plane before it crashed.
The accident occured during a simulated dogfight between three aircraft of the same type.The crashed aircraft was involved in a mid-air
collision with a second aircraft which although damaged was able to land in Skyros island airfield.
JUNE 15, 2004 F-4E
CRASHED IN MT PARNASSOS
Both crew:
Sqn Ldr Konstantinos Karathanos
and F/O Emmanouil Sevastakis,
were killed.
The aircraft was part of a two ship formation, taking part in an
one-on-one air combat exercise.
The Hellenic Air Force is investigating the causes of the crash.
DECEMBER 22, 2003 DEFENCE MINISTRY SIGNS
CONTRACTS FOR PROCUREMENT OF MISSILES
Contracts
have been signed with the French company MBDA FRANCE for the
procurement of 100 MICA air-to-air missiles, 50 launcher pads for
these, 34
SCALP air-to-surface missiles and additional materiel and services, the
national defense ministry announced on Monday.
This procurement will cover the operational requirements of the Air Force General Staff. The procurement was awarded directly to the MBDA FRANCE company and the sum amounts to about 220.5 million euros.
The delivery of the MICA missiles will begin in February 2006 and of the SCALP missiles in October 2007.
With the above-mentioned procurements, the MBDA FRANCE company offers to the defense ministry offset benefits amounting to 115 per cent of the value of the procurement.
NOVEMBER 27, 2003 MIRAGE 2000BG CRASHES INTO SEA
At about 11.55 hrs on Thursday 27 Nov., a two-seat Mirage-2000BG fighter (203), crashed into the Aegean Sea west of Chios island, while on a training flight, and its two pilots captain Kyriakos Dimitrakoulas and Flying officer Ioannis Hatzoudis, ejected safely. They were picked-up by HAF SAR helicopter and flown to HAF hospital.
The accident is believed to have been caused by an engine malfunction.
NOVEMBER 26, 2003 A-7H CORSAIR II CRASHED IN ANDRAVIDA
An A-7H Corsair II (ser.No159918) of HAF, crashed on Wednesday Nov.26 at 11.00 hrs, near the 117 CW base at Andravida.
The pilot reported fuel loss, when flying over the sea between Zakynthos island and the Peloponese.He was instructed to fly to Andravida and land immediately.When the aircraft was in the final approach and in view of the runway, the loss of fuel increased and the engine stopped.
The pilot, wing commander Konstantinos Mitsopoulos c/o of SOT (Scholio Oplon Taktikis) tried to avoid residental areas up to the last moment, when the aircraft stalled and had to eject.He landed safely and later was taken to HAF hospital for check-up.
The A-7H hit the ground and skidded for some 500 m, coming to a stop by a ditch, very near a warehouse, 800 m from Andravida runway.
An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the accident.