Ep 2. Blown Away

In season 18, episode 2 of Air Disasters titled "Blown Away," viewers are taken back to August 14, 2005, when Helios Airways flight 522 crashed into a mountain in Greece, killing all 121 passengers and crew members on board.

The episode starts with a dramatic retelling of the last moments leading up to the crash, when the plane's oxygen masks were deployed and the aircraft ultimately ran out of fuel, causing it to crash. With the help of interviews from aviation experts and investigators, viewers get a firsthand account of the events leading up to the accident, including the role that communication breakdowns and human error played in the tragedy.

The episode dives into the backstory of Helios Airways, a small airline based in Cyprus that primarily serviced tourist destinations in Europe. While the airline had a solid safety record, it was embroiled in financial troubles, which ultimately led to a chain of events that contributed to the crash.

As investigators pieced together what happened on board flight 522, they discovered that both the pilots and the majority of the passengers had passed out from lack of oxygen. This is because the plane's cabin pressurization system had been set to manual instead of automatic, which caused the cabin to lose pressure and the oxygen masks to deploy.

As the investigation continued, authorities discovered that the pilots had failed to switch the pressurization system back to automatic mode, which would have alerted them to the problem with the cabin pressure. The episode explores the possible reasons behind the pilots' oversight, including fatigue, poor communication, and lack of training on the specific aircraft they were flying.

Additionally, the episode examines how air traffic control failed to recognize the severity of the situation when they lost contact with the pilots. While they were aware that the plane was flying on autopilot and was not responding to radio calls, they did not realize that the aircraft was in distress and on the verge of crashing.

Throughout the episode, viewers witness the painstaking process of the investigation, with experts examining the wreckage, reviewing flight data, and interviewing witnesses. Piece by piece, they are able to reconstruct the events that led to the crash, and ultimately, identify the root causes of the accident.

The episode concludes by highlighting the changes that were made in the aftermath of the crash to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future. These changes included improved communication protocols between air traffic control and pilots, enhanced training programs for airline personnel, and updated safety procedures for cabin pressurization systems.

Overall, "Blown Away" is a gripping and informative episode that delves into the complexities of aviation accidents and the painstaking investigations that follow. Through interviews with experts and dramatic reenactments, viewers are able to gain a deeper understanding of the events that led to the crash of Helios Airways flight 522, and the lessons that were learned in its aftermath.