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Cyprus Airways Flight 284

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Cyprus Airways Flight 284, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 202513 sources
Cyprus Airways
IndustryAirline
Founded1947
Headquarters
Nicosia
,
Cyprus
ParentBritish European Airways (for jet operations)


Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence Cyprus Airways Flight 284 was a de Havilland Comet that was destroyed mid-flight on 12 October 1967 en route to Nicosia International Airport when a bomb detonated inside the cabin. The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the loss of all 66 individuals aboard, including passengers and crew.[1]

Aircraft

The airplane involved was a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 4B with the registration G-ARCO, representing the 49th unit of the Comet 4 series produced. It had been in service with British European Airways (BEA) since its manufacture in 1961.[1][2]

Flight

BEA held a stake in Cyprus Airways, and under their partnership, BEA operated all jet flights on behalf of Cyprus Airways using their Comet aircraft.[3] On the evening preceding the accident, the plane flew from London Heathrow Airport to Ellinikon International Airport in Athens, arriving shortly after 3:00 a.m. local time (1:00 a.m. UTC) on 12 October. Approximately at 4:30 a.m., it departed Athens on its scheduled Cyprus Airways service to Nicosia, carrying 59 passengers along with seven crew members.[4]

Around 45 minutes into the journey, control responsibility was handed over from Athens air traffic controllers (ATC) to those in Nicosia. Although Nicosia ATC attempted radio contact and received a reply, no further communication was established from the flight crew.[4]

While cruising at about 29,000 feet (8,839 m) toward Cyprus, the aircraft exploded roughly 100 miles (161 km) southeast of Greece’s island of Rhodes and approximately 22 miles (35 km) south of the Turkish town of Demre.[4][5]

Following its stop in Nicosia, the flight was planned to continue onward to Cairo. Among those aboard, eight passengers held reservations for a Middle East Airlines flight scheduled for the following day.

Recovery of remains and wreckage

Within 24 hours following the accident, 51 bodies were retrieved from the sea. Contrary to early reports, none of the victims were found wearing life jackets. Some recovered individuals had wristwatches that had stopped precisely at 5:25.[6][7] The investigation determined that the aircraft sustained some form of damage during its initial radio communication with Nicosia ATC around 5:15 a.m., ultimately breaking apart in mid-air approximately eight minutes later.[6][7] The debris field was estimated to cover roughly 35 square miles (91 km2) on the seabed, lying at depths between 9,000–10,000 feet (2,743–3,048 m) beneath the ocean surface.[5]

Following the recovery of a drop tank from the water, investigators initially theorized that the crash resulted from a mid-air collision with a military plane. Nevertheless, search teams also located a passenger seat cushion from the Comet floating on the sea's surface, which contained traces of military-grade plastic explosive.[5][8] This evidence led to the dismissal of the mid-air collision hypothesis, and no further attempts were made to salvage submerged wreckage.[9]

Experts specializing in forensic explosives at the UK's Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment examined the seat cushion and other cabin items; this marked the first time that this institution conducted such an analysis.[10]

The prevailing theory suggests that the explosion was linked to an assassination attempt targeting EOKA and, specifically, the Supreme Commander of Cyprus's defense forces at that time, General Georgios Grivas.[11] Despite this, the British Home Office has declined to declassify investigation documents until 2067, fueling public speculation regarding the bombing's circumstances.[12] In 2023, however, the Metropolitan Police acknowledged shortcomings and errors in their inquiry and noted political ramifications that may have adversely affected relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom.[13]

See also

References

Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Flight International, 5 September 1968, p.361
  2. ↑ de Havilland DH.106 Comet production records Archived 12 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed 24 June 2010.
  3. ↑ "Cyprus Airways Ltd." Flight International magazine 1966 World Airline Survey, 14 April 1966, p.611 (archived online), accessed 24 June 2010
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Aviation Safety Network summary of G-ARCO incident accessed 24 June 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "New Comet Clues", Flight International magazine, 16 November 1967, p.796 (archived online), accessed 24 June 2010
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Flight International, 19 October 1967, p.636
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Flight International, 19 October 1967, p.637
  8. ↑ "Sensor", Flight International magazine, 7 December 1967, p.929 (archived version), accessed 24 June 2010
  9. ↑ "No Salvage for Comet", Flight International magazine, 30 November 1967, p.897 (archived online), accessed 24 June 2010
  10. ↑ Higgs, Douglas Geoffrey (1982). "Explosives sabotage and its investigation in civil aircraft". Journal of Occupational Accidents. 3 (4). Elsevier Ltd.: 249–258. doi:10.1016/0376-6349(82)90002-5.
  11. ↑ "Μοιραία πτήση CY284 – Παραδοχή λαθών από Μητροπολιτική Αστυνομία". Kathimerini.com.cy (in Ελληνικά). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Hepworth, Simon (26 March 2021). Bealine Charlie Oscar: Flight CY284 - The Real Story Behind a Forgotten Atrocity. Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp. ISBN 9781911255741. ...though we will need to wait to find out until January 1st 2067.
  13. ↑ Kennedy, Poppy (18 November 2023). "'Missed opportunities' to investigate bombing which killed Thornaby mum". Teesside Live. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
Bibliography
  • "The Safety Record Worsens" Flight International magazine, 19 October 1967, pp.636 and 637 (archived online), accessed 25 June 2010
  • "Comet Sabotage? – the Evidence", Flight International magazine, 5 September 1968, pp.361 and 362 (archived online), accessed 25 June 2010

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