Cyprus Airways Flight 284
Encyclopedia
Cyprus Airways Flight 284 was a de Havilland Comet
that broke up during a flight to Nicosia International Airport
on 12 October 1967, after an explosive device
detonated in the cabin. The airliner crashed in the Mediterranean Sea
and all 66 passengers and crew on board died.
(BEA) since it was built in 1961.
, and the two airlines had an agreement in place for all of Cyprus Airways' jet services to be operated by BEA Comets. Late on the day before the crash the aircraft departed on a night-time BEA service from London Heathrow Airport
to Ellinikon International Airport
in Athens
, Greece
, arriving just after 3:00am local time (1:00am UTC
) on 12 October. At about 4:30am the aircraft departed Athens on the regular Cyprus Airways flight to Nicosia
in Cyprus with 59 passengers and a crew of seven on board.
About 45 minutes into the flight, control of the aircraft was transferred from air traffic controller
s (ATC) at Athens to their counterparts at Nicosia. The crew contacted Nicosia's controllers by radio, but when ATC replied there was no response from the aircraft.
After a drop tank
was recovered from the sea, investigators hypothesised that the aircraft crashed due to a mid-air collision
with a military aircraft. However searchers also found a cushion from one of the Comet's passenger seats floating on the surface of the sea, which on examination was found to have evidence of an explosion. Analysis of the seat cushion showed traces of a military plastic explosive
. After this find the mid-air collision theory was discarded and a decision was made not to retrieve any submerged wreckage.
As Flight 284 was flying towards Cyprus at FLight Level 290 [an altitude of approximately 29000 feet (8,839 m)], the aircraft broke up in mid air about 100 miles (161 km) southeast of the island of Rhodes
in Greece
and about 22 miles (35 km) south of the Turkish
coastal town of Demre
.
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
that broke up during a flight to Nicosia International Airport
Nicosia International Airport
Nicosia International Airport is a largely disused airport located to the west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia. It was originally the main airport for the island, but commercial activity ceased following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
on 12 October 1967, after an explosive device
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
detonated in the cabin. The airliner crashed in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and all 66 passengers and crew on board died.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 4B, registration G-ARCO, the 49th Comet 4 built. It had been owned and operated by British European AirwaysBritish European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
(BEA) since it was built in 1961.
Flight
BEA was a shareholder in Cyprus AirwaysCyprus Airways
Cyprus Airways is the national airline of Cyprus, a public limited company with its head offices located in the capital of the island, Nicosia. It operates scheduled services to 41 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf. It flies from both airports of the island, Larnaca and Paphos,...
, and the two airlines had an agreement in place for all of Cyprus Airways' jet services to be operated by BEA Comets. Late on the day before the crash the aircraft departed on a night-time BEA service from London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
to Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled Hellinikon was the international airport of Athens, Greece for sixty years up until 2001 when it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport. It is located south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, arriving just after 3:00am local time (1:00am UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) on 12 October. At about 4:30am the aircraft departed Athens on the regular Cyprus Airways flight to Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
in Cyprus with 59 passengers and a crew of seven on board.
About 45 minutes into the flight, control of the aircraft was transferred from air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
s (ATC) at Athens to their counterparts at Nicosia. The crew contacted Nicosia's controllers by radio, but when ATC replied there was no response from the aircraft.
Recovery of remains and wreckage
A total of 51 bodies were recovered from the sea within a day of the crash, most wearing life jackets and some wearing wristwatches that had stopped at 5:25. Investigators concluded that the aircraft had suffered some form of damage during the initial radio call to Nicosia ATC at about 5:15am and had broken up in flight about eight minutes later. They estimated the aircraft's wreckage to be scattered on the seabed over an area of about 35 square miles (91 km²) at a depth of 9,000-10,000 feet (2,700-3,050 metres) below the surface.After a drop tank
Drop tank
In aeronautics, a drop tank is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often jettisonable...
was recovered from the sea, investigators hypothesised that the aircraft crashed due to a mid-air collision
Mid-air collision
A mid-air collision is an aviation accident in which two or more aircraft come into contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and any subsequent impact on the ground or sea, very severe damage or the total destruction of at least one of the aircraft involved usually...
with a military aircraft. However searchers also found a cushion from one of the Comet's passenger seats floating on the surface of the sea, which on examination was found to have evidence of an explosion. Analysis of the seat cushion showed traces of a military plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
. After this find the mid-air collision theory was discarded and a decision was made not to retrieve any submerged wreckage.
Conclusions
The seat cushion and other recovered objects from the Comet's passenger cabin were analysed by the Forensic Explosive Section of the Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment, the first time that this was done.As Flight 284 was flying towards Cyprus at FLight Level 290 [an altitude of approximately 29000 feet (8,839 m)], the aircraft broke up in mid air about 100 miles (161 km) southeast of the island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and about 22 miles (35 km) south of the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
coastal town of Demre
Demre
Demre is a town and a district of Antalya Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, named after the river Demre.Demre is the Lycian town of Myra, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus. The district was known as Kale until it was renamed in 2005...
.